Bad Luck
by Saika
Summary: The story of how Mizuki found someone new. A Nakatsu/Mizuki story. I just want everyone to know I promise I will finish this story, it is just going to take a little while because of school.
1. A Soccer Ball

This is because the front page has only one Mizuki/Nakatsu pairing, and Nakatsu wants some attention. Also, this is based only on the J-Drama… since it's my only source of Hana-Kimi knowledge.

I do not own these characters that title goes to Hisaya Nakajo, and the Domyouji name belongs to Kamio Yoko. This isn't actually a cross over, just paying homage to Hana Yori Dango.

* * *

A soccer ball sat on her door step. Mizuki nearly fell down her porch steps trying to avoid it. It was an unassuming soccer ball, coming to a stop on her leg. She brushed her hair out of her face, and looked at it, examined it, puzzled over its existence. But despite the fact that there wasn't a soccer ball sitting on their porch last night, it seemed to belong. It was in no way out of place. She dusted her collared blouse off, and came to rest on her knees. Why this soccer ball was occupying this much of her thoughts, Mizuki did not understand. She placed her hand on top of it, pushing down slightly, and examined the stitching.

"SANO!" She cried out to the man inside the living room. "Why is there a soccer ball on our porch?" Perhaps this was something of his. Perhaps this was why it wasn't out of place. Silence answered her from the innards of the house. Asleep she supposed.

The soccer ball regarded her, and began rolling down the slight slope again. It wanted Mizuki to keep her eyes on it, as if this particular soccer ball had emotions. Mizuki laughed at herself. She had never over analyzed a soccer ball before.

Yuujiro yipped at her from his leash in the yard. The interview. This was why she had run out of the house and almost died on the steps. Grabbing her bag, Mizuki leapt off the porch and bolted down the street to the bus stop. No sign of the always late public transport. In a still bad habit from her high school days, Mizuki stuck her hands in her shallow pockets and rolled around on her heels. And the minutes began to tip by. The road was unusually quiet. Her stomach was feeling slightly unsettled. She wished her pockets were a little deeper. A lot of things were coming and going in her mind, none of which had to do with the bus.

Or the fact that it was now ten minutes late. Mizuki looked down the street in both directions. Nothing. Rolling onto her toes, Mizuki contemplated her surroundings. Her cell phone showed the time clicking by, and slowly the collected Mizuki was beginning to lose her cool; going from rolling back and forth to pacing around the bus stop.

The bus wasn't coming. She realized it finally as the twenty minute mark rolled by. The time she had allotted for the bus was becoming inconsequential. In fact, she had no choice but to run back home and beg Izumi for a ride. She readied herself for the run and the challenge ahead. A fist and a quiet word for her own encouragement and she was off.

As she leapt up the flight of porch steps, a clearly now awake Izumi stumbled into her vision. "IZUMI" she made her cutest face and pulled him toward her. He looked down at her dubiously. This was her 'I need something' face. This was her 'I need something from you' face. It normally didn't bother him, she did enough for him anyway, but right now he was running late. And hadn't it been her job to wake him up this morning? Why had she forgotten?

"If this isn't an apology for forgetting things Mizuki, we don't have much to talk about right now do we?" He politely hugged her, and hopped up the stairs, attempting to motivate himself for the day ahead. Ah, the life of an Olympic athlete. Mizuki stamped her foot on the floor, but realized that she had forgotten to do a few things in her haste for the day ahead. Not to mention that damn soccer ball. He had some sort of right to be frustrated.

"I'm sorry Sano!" she called up to him, "but I really need your help!" She kept the same cute face on, hoping for him to turn around. Which he did… like clockwork. If anything, she knew her love. "But the bus was late… or more specifically I was a little late for the bus…" she was quiet about the last part, not wanting to get reprimanded for a sure fire bet. "And my interview is now only 15 minutes away… and…" she trailed off, strong enough to keep eye contact, but not strong enough to say everything.

He looked up in frustration, he loved this girl, but god did she drive him crazy sometimes. "Ashiya!" this was the name of the past, and he only used it for pointed reasons. "I can't take you to your interview AND make it to practice in time!" But as he finished his retort he was already on his way up the stairs. She knew if he wanted to keep arguing, he would've stuck around. He had enough time to get to practice AND argue. He didn't have enough to get to practice, and argue, AND take her to her interview. A few minutes later he appeared completely changed, track bag over his shoulder and keys in hand. His perfect hair was slightly tangled, and the shower he wanted was a lost hope, but he'd be damned if Mizuki wasn't getting to her interview, even if it was her own fault. "I want you to remember this, Ashiya." Dashing out of door together, Mizuki hopped over the soccer ball, which Izumi proceeded to fall flat on his face over.

A groan escaped from his throat. That hurt. Wood wasn't as giving as one would expect. His face felt swollen. His nose was tweaked to the side. There was blood. He rolled over onto his side, and laid still. Mizuki was stifling laughter for a second before she realized he hadn't survived the fall as well as she had.

"Izumi!" She knelt down beside him, realizing this soccer ball was definitely not his. "Are you okay?" her first thought was never hospital, he was strong, he only needed himself, and her to be okay. But this didn't look like the standard obstacle. He looked up at her, with blurry eyes, and groaned again.

"Give me your keys." She demanded, standing up. She was going to have to drive him to the hospital, and drive herself to her interview. This was Mizuki, ready to get her boyfriend's nose set. This was Mizuki, ready to face this strange string of events. This was Mizuki, ready for whatever life threw at her.

Except driving. Izumi was the driver in their relationship. She had learned a bit in America, but Japan was a different story. It was all about public transportation. Not to mention a stick shift. What was this? Izumi groaned again, gaining his composure after 5 minutes of sitting with Mizuki trying to start the car.

"Mi…Mizuki." He tried to move his nose a little bit, but found that to be a bad idea. "I can drive." He spoke quietly, turning his head towards her. "But you are going to have to help me a little bit."

She looked at him, unsure of this idea. But she trusted him. He knew what he was doing. "Okay Sano." They exchanged seats, and Mizuki gave him his keys. "What am I doing?" She looked very sincerely at him, ready for whatever his request.

The car engine started quietly, and he looked at her with the same sincere eyes. "You have to watch lights and shift when I tell you to." The pain in his face was getting worse, since the shock had worn off. He needed this bit of help.

"Okay… Sano." Mizuki whispered her encouragement again, and kept her eyes glued to the road. This situation was getting progressively weirder by the moment. They pulled out, and onto the quiet street. These suburbs would be fine. It was the city she was concerned about. Nerves of steel. Izumi directed her shifting, and as they got closer to the city, it became more rapid. She thanked some deity above for the hospital being close. She could run to her interview, even if she was already running a minute late.

"First… second… third... first… second… first…" he slowly droned out the gears he needed, wincing anytime he moved his nose. "Neutral…" they stopped in a particularly nasty piece of traffic. The hospital was only an exit away now, but that was ten minutes in Tokyo. Mizuki looked at her watch, and ahead, and then at her watch, and then ahead again. She needed to call the office, but Izumi needed her attention. But the office. But Izumi. But the office… the office was for Izumi too. She needed this job. But Izumi. She looked at her cell phone, and looked at Izumi. "First…" he murmured to her, watching the traffic in front of him.

The car shuttered and turned off. Mizuki was still looking at her phone. "First Mizuki, not third." He started the car again, traffic now moving around them. She flushed a tiny bit and adjusted the gears. Unfortunately Izumi no longer had his foot on the clutch, and the car stalled again. He glared at her a moment while restarting the car, making a point of keeping his foot on the clutch this time. Mizuki couldn't help but notice that this day was not going smoothly.

They resumed the drive, Mizuki now contemplating her next move. She would be terribly late for the interview, but Izumi was more important. The training committee would certainly assist with this hospital bill, his renown as an athlete carried for a lot of money. Maybe she didn't need that job after all. But they had both agreed that it was important. Not only did she want to pull her own weight, but she needed to. Izumi liked Mizuki most because she was self sufficient. This turn of events for her being… irresponsible… was frustrating him. But this was the unnatural event, it would be fine.

The hospital formed in the distance, and Izumi felt like maybe this wonderful start to a day would come to a better conclusion. He pulled into a space in the lot, after nearly running over a median. Mizuki was already at his door, trying to help pull his weight. A quick walk through the emergency room doors, and the nurses were swarming him. They knew an Olympian track suit, not to mention his face, and it held true here as it does everywhere else; someone famous gets better treatment than the average Joe.

Mizuki paced around the emergency room considering her options. She could get to the interview in a few minutes if she ran. Izumi could handle himself. And she was doing this for him. And he had a car to get around. And he would be okay, it was just a broken nose.

With her mind made up, she began her sprint out of the hospital and down the busy streets of Tokyo. Not once had she called the office, but she figured showing up would be better than just calling to say she was still coming. After all, a broken nose was a good excuse for being late. She hoped.

Inside the emergency room, Izumi was getting his nose set to the sound of a few screaming nurses outside. They reminded him of the Hibari four. That was an uncomfortable thought. He figured Mizuki was already off and running to this interview she had already destroyed.

A few minutes later, Izumi emerged from the hospital, and video cameras were swarming everywhere. A broken nose qualified as excitement today in Tokyo apparently. He couldn't lie; he wished Mizuki was still here to break the line a bit. Why was his nose the center of attention? How, in the time he had been in the hospital, had this many news crews appeared? Izumi forced his way through the crowd, heading straight for his car, the news crews swarming behind him. At least they would have the decency to leave him alone once he was driving. He hoped.

But there was no way he could practice today. A broken nose shouldn't matter that much for high jumping, but he always rolled on the mats. His nose couldn't take any pressure. What the hell was that soccer ball doing on his porch? How had Mizuki known to jump over it? Why the hell hadn't she moved it if she knew it was there? Izumi fumed a bit as he pulled into the slightly lighter traffic of daytime Tokyo. He would waste the next hour and a half just trying to get to the track. Less than thrilled, he contemplated just returning home. But responsibility and his brother kept him going. He was truly thrilled at this prospect today.

A few blocks away Mizuki rounded her last corner to the office; a Domyouji investments building. It was only as she entered the lobby, and was approaching the help desk that she realized her lack of resume. The deal her brother made for her featured a resume in hand at the time of interview. Mizuki was beginning to realize exactly how bleak her chances of a warm reception were. She readied herself for what was going to be a long fight uphill.

'Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr. Zakitachi." She looked at the secretary with determined eyes.

"Floor 12…" The secretary pointed in the direction of the elevators. The walls shuttered as the giant weights shifted behind the doors. The tone to signal the arrival of her chariot startled Mizuki. She pushed the number and off the elevator went. The speed flattened Mizuki. Her stomach launched out of her body as it came to a halt. A deep breath, and the silver doors slid open again. Even though her nerves were raw, she pushed herself through the doors, and toward the desk of another secretary.

"Excuse me, where is Mr. Zakitachi's office?" She rested both hands on the high counter, using the same eyes she had earlier.

"Are you Mizuki?" The secretary looked up from her computer, sizing up the younger girl. Mizuki nodded and bowed to the women. "You are close to an hour late. Mr. Zakitachi is in a meeting until 1. After that he is on lunch and then will be in a meeting again at 3. You can wait in his office in the meantime, but he may only be able to see you between his meetings and lunch." The secretary handed her a packet and a few forms. "Fill these out in his office, and give them to him." She pointed down a hall of glass walls. "Third door on your left." And without another word, the secretary resumed whatever she had been doing.

Mizuki let the flood of information roll over her, and stood slightly stunned. She had been prepared for almost everything ever thrown at her in her life, but this was not something she was ready for. Her feet felt glued to the floor. The booklet looked like unabridged Crime and Punishment, and the secretary looked like she was capable of squashing a human with her stiletto. This was not a field Mizuki was even remotely familiar with.

Her feet managed to drag all the way to the door with Zakitachi written on it. The characters were bold. She reminded herself that she was bold too. Mizuki, water spirit, she would find a way to make this work. The door was heavy wood, like her porch. She sat down in a chair designed to make its occupant slightly uncomfortable, while giving the illusion of relaxation. This was a mind game. Mizuki didn't like mind games. But the best she could do was to try and play along. She cracked the spine of the booklets, and set into reading about the company and her potential future position.

The hours passed for both Izumi and Mizuki, one sitting in a never ending flow of traffic, the other wading through a never ending sea of paper. Izumi rested his chin on the steering wheel, waiting for another light to change. He had made it most of the way, and was now watching a few hundred cars cross between him and the three streets left to cross. Practice should have been halfway over by now, and yet no one had called to see where he was.

Sano Izumi, master high jumper, clearly didn't need their concern. At least that's how he felt. However, that didn't ever stop them from making sure he was alright. He clicked his tongue and leaned back again, flipping through his mental calendar. Something seemed slightly amiss. He just couldn't figure out what.

The lights changed and he was again on his way to the stadium. As he approached, he noticed a large amount of busses. That was very unusual. Busses meant lots of people. Why would there be a lot of busses at the stadium? Was this supposed to be a special day? The wheels slowly clicked around in his mind. Oh, deity above, it was. Today was the high school exhibition day. He was so unbelievably late.

As he nearly ran over a second median, his phone began to buzz against his leg. His father's name scrawled over the front screen. "Hello?" He answered somewhat sheepishly.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" A younger voice shouted over the line.

Slightly jarred by the shouting, Izumi paused, thinking of the best way to respond. "Shin, calm down, I broke my nose." He attempted to soothe the wild beast that was his always somewhat angry younger brother. "I'm in the parking lot, I'll be inside in a minute." He grabbed for his track bag. He grabbed for his nonexistent track bag. As his hand touched nothing but air, his head turned, and realized that in the broken nose daze, the bag had remained on the porch. His track suit was a good change in the morning while rushed, but all his gear, the important pieces, were still inside the bag. Izumi leaned back in frustration, and stared out the window at his especially reserved spot.

The national team coach sat on the bench, watching the team run the mile around the track. He only noticed Izumi as he sat down beside the coach. It had been a year since he had seen Izumi not prepared for practice, and looking so bedraggled. "You look like a bus hit you."

Izumi shook his head, and stared at his team mates rounding the approaching corner. "A bus named Mizuki." He leaned back into the bench, and crossed his legs. "I see the exhibition has gone well…" The better track students were running along side the team, and his high jump bar was set only a few centimeters below Izumi's personal best.

"There's some talent out there yeah." The coach turned his head toward the star high jumper, and pointed to the bar. "But I bet you noticed that already." Izumi nodded, and pointed to one of the students. "Pretty close, look one to the left as they round the last bend." Izumi nodded again, not surprised by either. "You want to show them what you're made of? Your brother is pretty adamant about you upstaging the competition."

That certainly explained why Shin was so irritable. Izumi leaned forward, and examined his track suit, and tested the bridge of his nose. "Nope, I don't need to jump today." Being injured was slightly more important than a few kids wanting to prove themselves. "Let Shin handle them."

The coach smiled. "Yeah, that's classic Izumi. Your brother already did actually." The runners finished the last lap, and began gathering in front of him, a few bent over in agony. Most eyes were glued to Izumi's nose. Not feeling particularly attached to the situation, Izumi got up and walked toward the locker rooms. He only hoped that Mizuki was dealing a little better with her situation.


	2. Okonomiyaki

Just a note, I don't use very many Japanese words in my writing. It should be understood that all the conversations being held are in Japanese, so Mr. Nakatsu, or Ms. Ashiya would be Nakatsu-san, and Ashiya-san, while Mr. Zakitachi would be Zakitachi-sama.

* * *

The Japanese man that stepped through the door seemed to be the epitome of the business man. His suit was pressed, his tie was perfectly matched, and his physique resembled that of a yakuza. Mizuki couldn't help but wonder. "Are you Ashiya Mizuki?" Mizuki launched out of her seat, and bowed to her hopefully future boss. "Give me your paperwork, resume, business card, and how far are you through the booklet?"

Mizuki kept her head down, trying to figure out the best way to say, 'I don't have my resume… or a business card.' The importance of the business card had been lost on Mizuki until a month ago, and her American mind set had prevented her from making one. She passed him the paperwork, and showed him the finished booklet. "I… don't have my resume… or a business card… Mr. Zakitachi." She tried to sound determined.

Mr. Zakitachi sat down in his large leather chair, lacing his fingers together on the table. He paused with an air of degrading consideration, keeping eye contact with the much younger woman. Mizuki felt somewhat like a mouse. "So…" he let the words hang in the air. The cat was deciding how long to play with the mouse. "You don't have your resume… or a business card." He leaned back in his chair. "Your paperwork is completed, but you were half an hour late." Mizuki felt like likelihood of this job becoming her job dwindling. "You did not call, and this was an unnecessary kindness for your brother."

Mizuki stood up and bowed deeply before him. "I'm terribly sorry Mr. Zakitachi. The bus was late to my neighborhood. My boyfriend broke his nose, and traffic was very bad. In my rush to get here I left my briefcase on the porch trying to get my boyfriend to the car." It had been a horrible streak of luck for Mizuki today. "I really want this job, and I really appreciate the opportunity you and my brother are providing for me." She spoke only to the floor in a feeble attempt to express gratitude.

The chair moved slowly in a half circle. Mr. Zakitachi was considering her argument. "Mizuki, you did not call to explain this turn of events, and your paper work does not specify any qualifications for this position. Perhaps even more importantly, I believe in luck Mizuki, and you do not seem to have any." Mizuki felt a sinking inside. She would not be getting this job, and today was not panning out in any good way. "Perhaps at a later date, if you can present a resume that shows your qualifications, we can have a position for you. Now I have another meeting. Please escort yourself outside the office." He opened the wood door at closed it quickly behind.

Mizuki could do nothing but slump down in the chair and hang her head in a horrible sense of shame. But she was only disheartened, not defeated. "I am Ashiya Mizuki, and I will make this work." She picked herself up, walked out the door, and down the elevator that flattened her. "Yes. I am Ashiya Mizuki." The secretary at the entrance said a cordial goodbye, and Mizuki walked onto the street.

But right now all Mizuki wanted was to be home. Her suitcase had her subway pass in it, and she had no money for a bus. She stood on the corner of the street watching the cars pass by, and felt a sinking feeling over the whole rest of the afternoon. It was an uphill battle, and she knew the only way to start climbing was to start walking. Where to exactly? She paced around a couple of light posts in a figure eight, wondering if she should call Izumi, or just attempt to… walk.

At least this way she could have some time to think about today. What was going on? Her luck had never run so poorly before. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Bad luck plagued Mizuki sometimes. It was hard, but when she worked through things it was more worth it. It's why she was always ready to face the next big hurdle. But she felt so drained right now. It had been hurdle after hurdle ever since she decided to even move to Japan.

This was no time to reflect on the past few years she decided. The sidewalks were getting more crowded, and her focus needed to be on getting where she needed to go. This walk was looking to be at least a few hours, and even though she had the time to kill, she didn't want to spend the whole time thinking. It was becoming troublesome to think.

Mizuki strolled through the crowds, making her way toward home. After a day such as this, she wanted to do something amazing for Izumi and herself. Brighten their spirits, maybe even forget that Izumi had broken his nose. But she couldn't purchase anything without money. And without something new she really couldn't surprise Izumi.

Not that he really liked surprises… Maybe getting something new wouldn't be the best idea. She would cook tonight. That sounded good. Okonomiyaki! She wanted seafood. But, Izumi was not a lover of okonomiyaki. She could make oden. She was good at oden. Izumi really liked oden. "Alright!" she shouted to the street, causing a few of the passerby's to look at her. Must be foreign they all thought in unison.

Mizuki stretched her legs a bit, sitting on a park bench for a few moments. The walk had gone even longer than she expected, and she was getting more tired by the minute. Judging distance might not be her strong point. At almost six, this park was only halfway home, or at least by her judgment. Which Mizuki realized now was probably far off. She tapped her phone against her leg, and began thinking it might be wise to call Izumi. He had to be done with practice by now. If he could even practice. Mizuki scratched her head and began dialing his number.

The phone rang a few times before a sleepy voice answered. "Hello?" His nose sounded stuffy even across the line.

"Izumi…" she spoke with sympathy. He knew why she was really calling though.

"You need help getting home don't you Mizuki?" The anger in his voice was enough for her to wince. Apparently his day was not going any better now that it was almost over.

"Yes Izumi… I tried to walk, but it's a lot farther than I thought, and I don't have any money otherwise I would've been home already…" She was trying not be angry. But they had both had bad days, why did Izumi always get to be the one who yelled about it? "I'm trying my best here, but I need a little help right now."

He huffed on the other side of the phone, and they sat in silence for a little while. "Where are you?" He asked at long last. His voice no longer sounded angry, only exhausted.

"The park we drive by outside of Marunouchi." Her voice quavered a little bit. She was tired and frustrated and finally feeling a little sad about everything that had happened today.

"Just stay put, I'll be there in a few minutes." He closed the phone, and laid his head down on the pillow for a minute. There was no motivation to move, even to get his girlfriend from the park so she didn't have to walk any farther.

Tired and frustrated he stumbled down the stairs and wondered how long the rest of the day would go. Of course his keys weren't where he normally left them, and all the lights were off. When he came home around 3, he had gone straight upstairs and ignored just about everything else. Yuujiro was lying on the couch, and Izumi remembered something about keys on the couch. The dog was suddenly extremely excited, as if ready for a walk. "I know Yuujiro. You can go with me to get her." Yuujiro jumped up and ran around Izumi's feet, and his keys went flying onto the coffee table. The glass cracked as the metal hit the top.

Izumi grabbed his keys, looked at the table, and stormed out. Today had to get better eventually, even if it only happened when he finally curled up in bed for the entire night. His engine whined slightly to being turned on. Izumi seconded the complaint. The roads were still fairly busy, despite rush hour being close to over. Yuujiro barked out the windows at the people and cars passing by, and everything was grating on raw nerves for Izumi.

He stopped at the light before the park, and puzzled about the joyous day. The red light blurred in his eyes, and he hardly noticed the light go green. A tap of someone's horn, and Yuujiro barking in return shook him out of the daze. Driving into the park, Izumi had the sudden urge to just keep going. Maybe drive until the streets got quiet. He rounded the first bend and saw Mizuki standing with her hands clasped in front of her hips. She looked just as angry and frustrated as he felt.

She slipped into the front seat, and smiled the best smile she could at him. "Thank you Izumi…" And she fell quiet, even though she wanted to tell him all about her day, and how she wanted to make his favorite dish for dinner. His silence didn't encourage her. Nothing about the situation was encouraging her.

The drive home was very short. Yuujiro hung his head out of the window barked occasionally, but otherwise the drive was also very quiet. Pulling into the driveway, Mizuki and Izumi noticed a car on the street in front of their house. A neighbor with visitors they both thought, getting out of the car in the same silence. Yuujiro ran toward a figure sitting on the porch, and the man began running around the yard in a panic.

"Yuujiro!" Izumi called after him. "Stop it!"

"Yes please! This dog still doesn't like me!" A familiar voice answered from the figure in the yard. Yuujiro came to a halt and Nakatsu fell over a few feet from him, tripping on the soccer ball that just seemed to be a haphazard and somewhat serendipitous item.

"Nakatsu?" Mizuki called out to him, hoping that a good friend had finally shown his face.

He rolled up and grinned in her direction. "None other! Can't believe you left this soccer ball outside. It's important you know!" He jumped up, holding it in his arm. "What other ball scored goals for qualifiers?" The ball bounced up and down as he did a bit of foot juggling. "What happened to the note that was on it?"

Yuujiro yipped a little again, trotting around Mizuki's feet. He seemed to say 'I did.' Mizuki shrugged slightly. "I tripped on it this morning going to wor…" she corrected herself, "an interview." Nakatsu was laughing before she finished the sentence. There was a huff behind her as Izumi grumbled about the soccer ball. He walked toward the door without saying a word.

"Sano!" Nakatsu trotted over to him, soccer ball in arm, knowing something had to be wrong with his old friend. Startled by the tape across Izumi's nose, he dropped his ball and went to poke it. Izumi's hand swatted his away, and Izumi looked just as intent on touching it, but held back. "What happened to your nose?" He asked, still eyeing it.

Izumi pointed to the soccer ball sitting next to Nakatsu's foot. He remained quiet and Mizuki filled in the blanks. "This morning he came running out, and tripped over the ball. Fell flat on his nose." Mizuki had a hard time not smiling, remembering the image. "It's been pretty hazardous."

Nakatsu laughed again, and looked at the two of them. "I thought I was giving you a kind gift Mizuki. The ball is the one I used to score a goal at game!" He grinned even bigger and gave her a thumbs up. "The note on it said something about that, and that I'd be by tonight for okonomiyaki."

Mizuki really wanted some okonomiyaki. But she had already told herself she would make oden. "Okonomiyaki sounds really good, but I was going to make oden today…" She smiled toward Izumi, who barely responded to the mention of a favorite dish. "But maybe I can make both," she went through a mental inventory of her kitchen. She had the fish and yam cakes for oden… and the squid for okonomiyaki… but she didn't have the eggs for both.

Her heart sank a little bit. Of course she wanted to do something nice for the long suffering Izumi, but she also wanted to make a favorite dish for an old friend. "I don't know what to do… we definitely don't have the ingredients for both." She looked between the two of them, and again there was silence. Nakatsu seemed occupied with bouncing the ball on his foot, and Izumi was searching for his house key. Mizuki began to wonder if she was the only one who cared about dinner.

"Listen Nakatsu, I'm going to go to bed. As Mizuki can share with you, the day has been bad." Izumi opened the door and Yuujiro trotted inside. "Make your okonomiyaki. And stop by some other time." He said waving to his friend. "I'll see you in the morning Mizuki." He disappeared inside, Yuujiro following quickly behind.

Mizuki watched as he left her vision. There was a heavy weight on her heart at present. Nakatsu walked over to, and poked her cheek, attempting to make her smile. "Are you okay Ms. Ashiya? And what's with grumbly Sano?" Her old and somewhat formal name seemed odd coming from him. "I can see Sano being irritable, but today must have been really bad for you not to be smiling." Though her mood was still low, she could feel a smile spreading at his keen observations of character.

"Let's go make that okonomiyaki." She took the porch steps quickly, and headed into the kitchen. The recipe they made together in high school was stuck in one of her cooking books, and even though she hadn't used it for many years, she found it fairly easily. Nakatsu moved one of the chairs close to the mixing bowl she was working in.

He watched Mizuki with reserved eyes. He had never quite gotten over her, but he knew better than to guess she would ever end it with Izumi. They worked too well together. This strange interaction between them today seemed so out of place for the two of them. Or at least for as long as he had known them as a couple. Mizuki was still being strangely quiet.

"Are you okay Mizuki?" he asked after the batter was mixed. "You've been so quiet." Mizuki looked at him and smiled her best smile. He was right, she was quiet, and she was definitely not as cheerful as he might've been used to. They looked at each other for a minute before she turned away, grabbing a head of cabbage to chop up.

The leaves gave a satisfactory crunch to her ears. This was something she could see the progress with. "I guess I'm okay Nakatsu, it's just been a hard day." The last few leaves gave their throe before she began mixing them into the batter. She remembered that Nakatsu didn't like as much cabbage. She remembered that he liked squid better than octopus. She remembered that he needed tonkatsu sauce, and a bib for his inevitable sloppy eating. She remembered a lot of things about their okonomiyaki eating. Those were some of her fondest memories.

Her smile seemed a little more sincere as she started grilling the first bit of the batter. "So how is your soccer Mr. Nakatsu?" She jokingly referred to him in formal terms as he had earlier to her. She sprinkled the toppings on his pizza pancake. "What did you mean when you said 'the game?'"

Nakatsu hopped up and did one of his many signature ego moves. "I scored an important goal to get us," he spread his arms in a dancing style, "Team Japan, into the finals of," he gave this movement a grandeur flare "the East Asia Cup! Or at least one game closer to it!" He proceeded to march around the room in a celebratory manner, knowing that he, Nakatsu Shuuichi, was an important figure in his favorite sport.

Mizuki listened to him in awe. Her friend was living the dream he had been chasing since before high school. She ran around the kitchen to give him a hug, laughing at his usual behavior. "I am so proud of you Nakatsu!" she marched around with him to the beat in his head. "I didn't even know you were playing right now, it's been so hectic since we moved back to Japan." She flopped down in the chair he had scooted next to the cooking spot. "We would have loved to come to the real game."

Still enthralled in his march around the kitchen, Nakatsu kept on the move. "You know it was in China right?" He stroke a few poses before sitting down at the table with his okonomiyaki. He bit into it to quickly as normal, and though he looked like his mouth was being seered, he flashed a big thumbs up toward her. "Good okonomiyaki." He said through the mouth full of food.

"I didn't actually…" Mizuki blushed a little bit. She was so out of date on so many things right now. She started preparing her own okonomiyaki, similar to Nakatsu's, except with more cabbage. "It's pretty amazing that you're doing so well though, Nakatsu…" She knew he had always been good at soccer, but to be in the national team was another level entirely. She wouldn't ever say it out loud, but part of her had always believed Nakatsu's dream was slightly farfetched. How many world class athletes could come out of one school?

Her own mix took a few extra minutes cooking, and having somewhat tired legs, Mizuki sat down beside Nakatsu again. He wolfed down the last few bites before smiling and pointing at the refrigerator for a beverage. She nodded, and stared out the window toward her small back yard. "What do you mean 'It's pretty amazing…'" He looked at her with willful eyes. "Of course I'd be on the national team! Nothing is out of Nakatsu Shuuichi's reach!" Except for one thing. But he didn't like to think about that very much.

Mizuki smiled at him as she took a few small bites from her okonomiyaki. "I guess that's true isn't it?" He was always so ambitious. This was extremely tasty. She began wolfing down her piece, even though her appetite wasn't normal. "I wish I could make things work that easily…" she mused with her mouth full as well.

"I wouldn't call it easy." In truth, Nakatsu had had an impossible time getting onto the national team. He had spent all his university years training, and still only managed to get onto the team on an injury. There were only 3 players younger than him, all of which had been stars in the youth leagues. "But I made it…" Nakatsu looked so serious. Mizuki was not used to him looking so serious.

It made her needle him in the side, which made him fall out of the chair. "Why do you have a western table and chairs? That would have hurt a lot less in a Japanese dining room." Mizuki laughed at his clumsy move.

"I've been using those 'western style' table and chairs all my life. I just can't get used to sitting on the floor yet, even though I should probably try a little harder." Mizuki eased herself onto the floor, sitting down on her feet. "It's hard enough being a foreigner who is Japanese…"

Nakatsu joined her on the floor, showing her a way to sit that was easier on the circulation. "It always seemed to me like no one teaches anybody how to sit, we all just learn it after years of not feeling our feet." He poked her socked feet, and Mizuki laughed at him. "Seems like you've got the hang of it."

Mizuki got up and grabbed a bottle from the refrigerator. "This was supposed to celebrate me being hired at a company today…" She showed him the bottle of shochu. "Sadly, it's not much of a celebration…" She popped the cap open, and brought two glass down from the cupboard. "Instead we will celebrate your success." And she poured a glass for him in her best Japanese manners.

Again, Nakatsu couldn't help but laugh at her. Long ago he noticed she was not refined in the ways of a Japanese woman. She had spent her first stint in Japan as a young man, and even in that she sometimes had questionable manners. "Very good Mizuki." He managed to squeeze out. "Now set down the bottle as I set down my glass, and pick your glass up as I pick up the bottle." He poured her a glass full, and set down the bottle. "Now of course, kanpai." And they both dried the cups.

"A couple more of these and I'll need to go pass out…" Mizuki said, realizing her alcohol tolerance was still extremely low. At least she had something in common with the majority of Japan.

Nakatsu filled her glass again. "To drowning sorrows." She laughed at him, but took the drink all the same. Nakatsu held up his glass, and she filled it for him. Yuujiro barked at her from the hall, and made a movement towards the door. Although she could feel the two shots, Mizuki got up and opened the door. The night was sweet and cool. Nice for the spring. She sat down on the porch steps, watching as Yuujiro wandered the front yard for whatever he wanted to hunt for. It was nice how he was quiet when it was a time to be quiet.

"It is a very nice night out here, isn't it Ashiya." Nakatsu leaned against the door frame, glasses and bottle in hand. Mizuki remembered why Nakatsu had been her best friend for the time she was in high school. He was making her forget the problems she had to face right now, and that definitely felt nicer than just worrying about it for the past few hours. She'd get to worry about it in the morning. Nakatsu sat down beside her, and poured another glass for both of them. "You know, you'll be okay. You're a winning personality." He held the glass high for her.

"Thank you Nakatsu." She poured the last glass down her throat. "I know…" Her head slumped a little bit. He felt his arm around her shoulder, and she felt a little sadder. "Things just aren't going the way they should." She leaned back against him, and Yuujiro ran up to her, nuzzling into her hands. The alcohol was releasing all the stress inside her, and even though she had cried in front of him before, it didn't feel right doing it now.

Nakatsu felt her shoulders shudder only slightly, willing herself not to cry. He finished off his glass, and looked down at her. "Well, it's time for me to go… practice in the morning…" It was by a great force of his own will that he stood back up again, and pulled her up. Her eyes were a bit more than just cloudy. "Oh Mizuki…" he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in.

What Mizuki felt right now she didn't know. She was angry and depressed, and it felt like nothing was making it better. Even Nakatsu could only slightly cheer her up. "I'm sorry to make your first trip to our place here so…" she wasn't sure of exactly how she had made it.

But Nakatsu was still ready with a smile. "I had a good time. We made okonomiyaki like the old days." He gave her another tight hug, and released her. "You will be fine Mizuki… imagine me, Nakatsu Shuuichi, giving you advice." He gave her the thumbs up again before hoping down the last steps.

"Wait Nakatsu… what about your soccer ball?" It was sitting on the lawn where he had dropped it earlier.

"It's yours now!" He kicked it lightly up to her. "Keep catching like that and you'll make goal keeper!" He gave her one more endearing thumbs up before sauntering toward the sidewalk, a thousand different things going through his mind.

They were fighting, Mizuki was visibly shaken, things were stressful on her. What Nakatsu had always seen as a steadfast bond was wavering slightly in the gale of tsunami Nakatsu. Or at least tsunami Japan. Nakatsu knew he was kidding himself if he thought Mizuki was even slightly interested. She couldn't be. It was Izumi and Mizuki… Sano and Ashiya. They could make it through just about anything.

Mizuki waved at him as he left, sitting back down on the porch. Her head was spinning from the alcohol and all the strange events of the day. Really, the only thing that had made her feel at all better was spending time with Nakatsu. In a somber silence Mizuki walked inside to door, and up to the already sleeping Izumi.

The house felt cold, where Nakatsu had been making her feel warm. With heavy legs she walked up the stairs, the shochu bottle still sitting on the steps.


	3. I Like Sake

Paying a little homage to Gokusen… pretty obvious if you've seen it.

* * *

Nakatsu sat on his hotel bed, watching a muted television on his normal sports channel. They had talked about him earlier, and even if Nakatsu felt he deserved all the attention, the focus had shifted to some dealings in baseball. He was distracted. He was slightly anxious. He was very tired. The water dripped from the faucet in the bathroom. He had no energy to get up and turn it off.

Today had been… long. Nakatsu really couldn't decide how he felt about things. With the world cup qualifiers so swiftly approaching now, he was traveling between Japan and 90 of the rest of the world every week. Back home didn't necessarily mean Tokyo. In fact, most often it meant Sapporo, or Kyoto, or Sendai, or Matsue, or Kagawa, or almost any of the other hometowns of his teammates. Home was a bed. Home was a hotel. Home was anywhere he could make it, since home didn't exist.

His head fell flat against the pillow, and his eyes drifted toward sleep. This was always when he thought most about the past, and what he could see for the future. That was his time to be at mental peace. Or at least for the past year it had been some kind of peace. Mizuki. She was on his mind again. Peace had come when he believed everything was done and over. They would always be friends, but Nakatsu was the runner-up to the Sano in Mizuki's heart.

He was very fond of Sano, so he understood Mizuki's like of his strangely reserved yet open demeanor with her. He was not arrogant about his skills. He was not overly competitive. He was almost the opposite of Nakatsu. With that, Nakatsu felt his heart sinking in a familiar and many year old way. This was why he tried so hard not to think about Mizuki. As far as he knew there was no chance for him.

This was when Nakatsu normally started kicking around his soccer ball, and pretended like he wasn't thinking about anything specific. Maybe the reason he was so good was because he spent so much time practicing to distract himself. Yet another thing he owed all to Mizuki.

But he couldn't kick around his soccer ball right now. There were breakables in the hotel room, not to mention people all around him. The only thing he could do was roll over and try to sleep. But hadn't Nakatsu been trying to sleep? Wasn't that why he was on this train of thought? Maybe the only thing he could do was watch television. There was bound to be something entertaining on. Something that would keep his mind off the M word.

The television did not provide particularly useful. The first channel was a classic love story. The channel dedicated to music seemed to be entirely focused on bands Mizuki liked. A few characters named Mizuki popped up. And then some comedy about a girl disguised as a boy. High school dramas, a movie they watched 3 years ago, and a high jumping match in Europe. Around channel 20 of things reminding him of his present predicament, he was on the verge of some sort of emotional explosion. What Nakatsu needed right now was a drink at a local bar, and some noodles.

In a single motion he put on his jacket and shoes and closed the door to his hotel room. In the back of his mind he realized he didn't have his wallet… or his room key… or his phone. But that wasn't even remotely close to the top of his mind. In fact, he was lucky if he was going to remember at all. He walked as quietly as possible to the elevators, and rode down examining his reflection in the mirror. He was the handsome and wonderful Nakatsu. He stroked his ego, since it was in need of some boosting.

Coming out of the elevator, he strolled like the man of the hotel. He could have anything thing he wanted. And right now he wanted those mixed noodles and some warm sake. A lot of that sake, and maybe some beer. Anything a noodle house could provide. The streets of this part of Tokyo were warm tonight. The lights and the people and the buildings bounced the heat into a near fire storm. He hung his jacket over his left shoulder and strolled down his street. He didn't know this area very well, but something told him a noodle house lived somewhere to the left down the next main street.

The friendly open curtains and humid atmosphere greeted him with an extra kind of comfort. The restaurant was mostly empty. A young girl with an older man sat on the bar benches, and an older lady sat at a corner table. The chef welcomed him, and Nakatsu took a center table for himself. The girl that came out to take his order seemed suddenly elated when she saw him.

"Mister Nakatsu?" her voice was high pitched like a rabid fan at a Beatles concert.

He raised his eyebrows, unsure of why this girl younger than him would recognize his face. "That's me." He replied, looking at her with questioning eyes. "How come you know my name?"

The girl seemed to swoon a bit as he admitted his name. "I saw your shot in China for the East Asia Cup." She mimicked his movements and then almost slid across the ground exactly as he had after the goal. "You are an amazing soccer player." Her bow was so deep her head was lower than his own.

Whatever ego Nakatsu was lacking was suddenly entirely restored. Somebody knew who he was. Somebody appreciated his talent as a soccer player. "Thank you very much." His first instinct was to gloat, but before he could say anything more she had disappeared behind the kitchen curtains, and reemerged with a huge bottle of warm sake, and a detailed list of the various noodles, vegetables, and meats available at the tiny noodle house.

"Please, this bottle is on the house, enjoy Mister Nakatsu, and I will come back in just a moment to make your custom noodle order." She gave him a glowing smile and poured the first glass for him. Ah, sake, a familiar friend.

The list was extensive, and as he sipped his small glass, he considered what would be the best combination of flavor and texture. Nakatsu was not a connoisseur of anything by any stretch, but he knew what he liked, and that sometimes meant volatile combinations. Even his like of spicy food conflicted with Mizuki.

And everything came back to her again, of course. Three glasses of sake disappeared quickly, and the waitress return holding a pen. "Whatever you order will become a new dish here Master Nakatsu. A new specialty for this noodle house." Her eyes were eager, her nose slightly upturned. In the very slight state of intoxication, she seemed pretty.

"I want a shaved kelp ball grilled with a sweet soy sauce on top in a bowl on the side, ramen noodles with a soy flavored chicken broth, shaved pork, 4 pieces of nori, spinach, daikon radish, carrot, and some scallion." Nakatsu stated his order with an air of sophistication, even if noodles didn't qualify as upper class. "And another bottle of this when it's ready." Half full meant closer to half empty for Nakatsu right now. The waitress retreated back to the kitchen, and Nakatsu slouched against the back of the bench. The ceiling was nondescript, looking like every other ceiling he had seen lately. He liked these tiny sake glasses, but he wished it was respectful to drink straight from the bottle. He was depressed, but he was in a public place. As much as he was forward, he was not impolite, and he certainly didn't ignore common courtesy to his fellow restaurant patrons. That meant he just kept drinking his small cups, and staring at the lights above him.

The sake had calmed his mind. He couldn't see Mizuki's face clearly when he closed his eyes anymore. The waitress brought him out of his semi sleeping state with the bowl of noodles sitting in front of him. She wished him a good meal with another deep bow.

Ah, chopsticks. He liked the feeling of the wooden points between his thumb and fingers. He liked the weight of the noodles even better. He took a deep breath in of the warm broth, and began slurping the noodles. The warm sake mixed on his tongue, and he realized that this noodle mix bordered on delicious. This tiny place had its fair share of gourmet touch. The waitress came back and checked on him. He smiled wide at her, and nearly over filled his sake glass.

"I think at some point I'm going to want one more of these, but only after my noodles are finished." He resumed slurping with great fervor. In truth, he had very little to eat all day, and the alcohol was affecting him a little more than he wanted to admit, but it was just so good. And the noodles were the only thing filling his stomach which made them that much better.

Somewhere just south of heaven, Nakatsu realized he hadn't thought about Mizuki for five minutes. And thinking about her at this moment didn't make him feel like a complete loser. The noodles had acted as a panacea for his pains, and the sake was the key ingredient. It seemed almost bottomless, the meat was delicious, the vegetables seemed more fresh than any he had tasted for weeks. This strange shop in Tokyo was somehow the answer to all his worries.

The idealist in Nakatsu was out in full bloom. The bowl was at last dry, and he sat drinking from the third sake bottle, still staring at the ceiling. The waitress cleaned the table in front of him, and began preparing the check. A cream puff. Nakatsu wanted a cream puff.

He followed the waitress up toward the cash register and patted his pants. This was when Nakatsu remembered his lack of wallet. He was very drunk now. A few slurred words partially conveyed the problem to the waitress, the rest was understood by the chef. Neither of them knew exactly what to do. Nakatsu held out a few hundred yen in change. The noodles weren't very expensive, but the two extra bottles of sake he had drained were. The waitress made a plea to the chef to do it on the house. How often did a famous athlete come to their noodle house? This was a better story than the money. The chef considered for awhile.

"I'll be back here whenever I want noodles." Nakatsu slurred his words slightly in an only partial attempt to support her argument. He would really be coming back, and he really wanted to pay for the meal. "I can cook for you tonight?" He bowed to the chef and the chef considered the offer.

"Yes. I will accept a dinner in return as payment." He smiled widely and came around the side and out of the kitchen. "There are more than a hundred ingredients in there. You can make me whatever you are good at."

The possibilities seemed almost endless. Nakatsu felt his creativity rising. He almost ordered another bottle of sake in order to assist in preparations, but realized that was probably a poor idea. The whole stock of the kitchen lay in front of him. A grill for pork, sauté pans, vegetables, and somen noodles.

Singing a song to himself, Nakatsu dropped some somen into water, and began slicing some carrots, celery, and lotus root for the sauté pan. Hunting around the kitchen, he found some katsubushi and myoga sauce. Perfect for the chilled somen which he was fishing out to drop into ice water.

The pork smelled wonderful on the grill, and his kinpira was almost finished. It almost made him hungry again, but the ramen noodles he had earlier were keeping him full. He plated everything and carried the plates to the chef, who was sitting at the same table Nakatsu had picked earlier.

"Enjoy Mr. Chef." The waitress followed from the depths of the kitchen with a bottle of sake for her boss. She sat down beside him. Nakatsu realized he probably should have made something for her as well, but she began stealing bits off the chef's plate. "What are your names?"

The waitress was the first to respond. She was considerably less giddy now that Nakatsu had been around for awhile and was considerably drunk. "Akisei Yoko." Her smile was nice, and Nakatsu smiled in return. "This is Atsuma Shigeru." She was pointing to the noodle chef next to her.

The food was disappearing quickly and sitting with a full stomach, Atsuma was giving him a great compliment. In this strange little noodle house, Nakatsu had made new friends. Though it was a 24 hour place, it had been empty for an hour, and they were all sitting together at the central table Nakatsu had picked before 9. As if to keep his level of drunkenness at an even level, Nakatsu and the staff were all sharing another large bottle of sake, and discussing soccer, the area, and the history of the noodle shop.

Nakatsu had always been friendly, but he had never made friends by not being able to pay for a meal. "I've had this noodle shop since my father died 5 years ago. We're a small noodle shop, but we do enough business." He drank his glass of sake and Nakatsu poured a refill for him. "You're the first person in here that could be considered famous… I think ever. We're so small that it's mostly regular customers and the occasional passerby." Again his cup was empty, and again it was filled. And for every one Atsuma emptied, so did Nakatsu.

The world was swimming just a little as he walked out of the noodle house. The graveyard chef had arrived and was setting up, letting Akisei and Atsuma head home. The short walk back to his hotel turned into a mile as Nakatsu stumbled down the street. Streets had emptied, a few of the lights were turned down, and he was about to realize his complete lack of hotel key.

The hotel lobby was entirely empty. The concierge desk was dark. A few of the elevators seemed to be off for the evening. Nakatsu contemplated the use of the stairs, but realized in his current state that would probably result in a tumble down at least 3 flights. Instead he waited against the marble walls.

His reflection was not nearly as clear in the mirror now. Either the walls were dirty or his eyes were very blurry. The sound of the elevator arriving at its destination rattled inside his head. He wasn't quite to the world spinning, but Nakatsu was definitely just a little bit over the comfortably drunk line. He tried to be silent as he walked down the hall way, knowing the coach would kill him if he saw a very drunk Nakatsu in the hallway at 11 pm.

He leaned against the door number he recognized as his own, and began searching his pockets again. It was 3 minutes of patting before he realized that just like his wallet and phone; his room key was inside the room. His common sense was lost. Instead of knocking on a teammate's door he immediately began thinking of where he could stay.

He didn't know where his two new friends lived, and that would be too forward. No one he knew in high school still lived in Tokyo… except for Mizuki and Sano… but that was a bad idea. All this friends were mostly in Osaka, and he certainly couldn't get there for the night. Mizuki and Sano did live in the city though. His teachers from school would all be unable to accommodate him… Mizuki and Sano had an extra room. And there was his teammate who was from Tokyo and was staying with his parents tonight. He could go stay there tonight. But they lived farther away than Mizuki and Sano. And they had a small house. Everyone would be uncomfortable if Nakatsu tried to stay there. And Sano had said Nakatsu should visit again. And there was a subway that stopped close enough to their house that a bus could carry him the rest of the way and then he could walk. It was still before midnight, so the last subway would still be running, and the last bus probably wasn't until 1.

And that was how Nakatsu reasoned that it would be a good idea to stay at Mizuki and Sano's for the night. He gave himself a thumbs up for his level of consideration and headed back down the hall. He attempted to act more collected as he headed through the lobby.

Nakatsu wandered slowly down toward the subway station, just past his new noodle shop. He counted himself extremely lucky when he found a hundred yen piece in the gutter. A taxi honked at him as he grabbed it. Something sounding like stupid drunk echoed around the buildings. He had more than enough for the subway and bus now, and he could feel a drunken excitement growing.

The trains were quiet this late at night. A few younger girls giggling close to the back of the train and another old lady completed his car. He sat down and felt his head lull against a poll. This was comfortable. Or at least it seemed to be. Maybe his head was extra heavy so anything was comfortable.

Every few minutes Nakatsu almost leapt out of his chair, trying to make sure he didn't miss the stop that he deemed closest to their house. Every time he lurched forward the girls stopped giggling and looked at him. He looked at them, then they stared at each other, and then they all resumed their standard activities.

He felt that they were his new friends too. They thought he was crazy. The old lady ignored all of them. The subway paused at each stop, no one got on or off their car at most of them, until the girls wandered out into a stop in the outskirts of Tokyo, and Nakatsu realized the next stop would probably be his. The older woman stood up with him as well, but they both ignored each other, and went separate directions.

The night was finally getting cold. Nakatsu buttoned his jacket as he stood at the bus stop, even though it was only a 2 mile walk to Mizuki's. The schedule said there was one more bus coming, and Nakatsu wanted to hold out for it. He danced a little bit to some music in his head, and felt very excited. He was a happy if not tired drunk.

Eventually the little bit of dancing turned into a full blown song and dance that Nakatsu considered epic. He swung around the bus stop and clicked his shoes against the sidewalk, pretending there was a full orchestra in the background. He was so totally enthralled with his performance that the bus had to honk three times before he realized the door was open and waiting for him.

The bus driver looked down the bridge of her nose at Nakatsu. Such a performance was the sign of a trouble maker, she thought to herself. Nakatsu gave her a friendly wave as her dropped the fare into the machine. Her eyebrows arched at him, but she gave no other movement. Nakatsu found a comfortable spot for himself and bounced a little bit. The bus was entirely empty except for the two, and even though Nakatsu knew he could make friends, he decided against it. 5 friends, even if he didn't know the girl's names, were enough for one day. His social calendar would be to busy if he made friends with everyone he ever met.

The street lights glowed, and Nakatsu was no longer tired. His drunk level was beginning to lower, but he was excited enough to make up for the lack of liquor. This was going to be the best, and he bounced a little bit more in the bus seat. The bus driver cleared her throat in his direction, but Nakatsu didn't really notice. He kept bouncing, if in slightly less regular intervals though.

There it was. Their house. It was right there. Nakatsu leapt out of his seat and went running up to the door, expecting the bus to both stop and open at the very moment he reached this particular spot. The bus driver nearly had a heart attack. The bus nearly swerved into a sidewalk. Nakatsu felt the world spin beneath him, and suddenly he was on the ground with a very burly woman over him. She looked ready to eat his soul. Nakatsu was confused. Nakatsu was intimidated. Nakatsu just wanted to get off the bus.

He timidly mentioned this. The bus driver looked more sinisterly down the bridge of her nose. Nakatsu smiled sheepishly in an attempt to appease her. It didn't really work, but she turned the handle for the door, and almost threw him off while he was still lying down. The road ate the pattern on the back of his jacket as he landed and skidded slightly.

Nakatsu had never been thrown out of anywhere before. He certainly didn't know how to feel about this, but there was more than enough time to think about that once he was sober. Right now he had a house to get inside. And the bus driver had thrown him very close to it. Sano's car sat in the driveway. The lights upstairs were on, and he could faintly hear music coming from a cracked window. They were up late tonight. Maybe they could all have a party together?

The front lawn was conquered by Nakatsu in less than a minute. The steps were conquered in one leap. He heard his knocks echo inside, and knew that Mizuki would happily come open the door in a minute or two. He put on his biggest smile, and waited patiently.

But they didn't come. After two minutes, Nakatsu was having a hard time smiling so widely. Another knock echoed inside. Still nothing. At a loss, Nakatsu sat down on the steps, and thought about this dilemma. Now, all the way here, he had no way of getting their attention. Maybe he could sleep on their porch. But it was cold.

A light bulb turned on above his head. This was the porch light, but Nakatsu had a brilliant idea at the very same moment. An eye was looking through the peep hole as Nakatsu dashed onto the street. Sano saw Nakatsu's foot leaving his view. Unsure of whom it was, Sano turned off the porch light, and started to head back upstairs. Nakatsu came bolting onto the lawn with a handful of rocks. The first he threw against the closed window. Inside Mizuki nearly jumped out of her skin. The second landed close to the first one, and Mizuki considered going to see what was happening. The third skipped inside the open window, and Mizuki realized someone was attempting to get their attention.

She poked her head out of the curtained window, and stared down at the front lawn. "Hello?" she asked the figure below.

"Ashiya! Open the door!" Nakatsu shouted up to her, making no attempt to keep quiet so late at night.

Mizuki's eyes were wide. Izumi's mouth was pursed. "What are you doing here?" Ashiya was at a near loss for words, Sano looked like he was about to kick something. He could tell Nakatsu was drunk, and whatever was about to happen was going to be something inconvenient.

"I got locked out of my hotel, and I needed a place to stay for the night." Nakatsu smiled wildly at Mizuki who was now opening the front door. Izumi stood slightly behind her, and tried not to glare very much, on some level he knew Nakatsu was still his very good friend. Even if he did make things difficult so very much.

Nakatsu nearly fell through the door. In the process he almost knocked Mizuki into Izumi. Nakatsu and Mizuki landed hard on the floor. Looking down at the figures, Izumi realized exactly how drunk Nakatsu was. After all, he was now laying on a squirming Mizuki…

with…

his lips…

on her lips…

Izumi was almost on fire now. He pulled Nakatsu off Mizuki with all his strength. As both grown men moved into the air, the weight of Nakatsu started pulling them back toward the ground. Izumi landed hard on the door frame with Nakatsu on top of him. And Mizuki noticed Izumi squirming…

with…

Nakatsu's lips…

on Izumi's lips…

Mizuki erupted into riotous laughter as Izumi pushed Nakatsu off. She nearly collapsed on the stairs she found such great mirth in it. Yuujiro was barking loudly at all the noise, and Nakatsu was wondering what exactly had just happened. Not wanting to fight this situation anymore, Izumi closed the door, and looked at his still laughing girlfriend. On some level it was probably funny, Izumi knew that, but right now he just wanted Yuujiro to stop barking, and for Nakatsu to not be disturbing his life so much.

Nakatsu agreed with wanting Yuujiro to stop barking. He could hardly feel his head anymore, and that meant bad things for the morning. Mizuki settled slightly, and although a few giggles still emerged, the house had now gone mostly quiet.

"You can sleep on the couch Nakatsu." Izumi looked down the bridge of his nose at Nakatsu. This was a familiar feeling, thought Nakatsu. "But please, for the love of all things, don't be loud anymore." Izumi kept a firm gaze before retreating upstairs. Mizuki watched as Izumi went up the steps, and felt slightly torn.

"How come you came all the way here Nakatsu?" She walked with Nakatsu toward the living room. Yuujiro had stopped barking and disappeared into another part of the house. "You're welcome of course, but wasn't there an easier way?" Ha. Nakatsu taking the easier way? Not likely. Maybe that was a stupid question.

"I couldn't think of anything else." He told a white lie. This option was just the best is what he actually thought. "Besides, I won't disturb you anymore than I already have."

Mizuki pointed toward the couch, and Nakatsu followed her finger. He had gone slightly more calm, trying to replay what had happened the moment he entered the house. He had fallen, but the landing, unlike all the others today, had been really comfortable. Maybe smaller than him, but still comfortable. And what had his lips done? There was a faint flavor on them. Was that… he touched his lips and then looked at his fingers. Mizuki…? Had he really…?

A dark mass occupied part of the couch, but Nakatsu didn't really notice. "Goodnight Mizuki." he called to her, flopping down on the couch. Yuujiro yipped slightly at the sudden mass of legs now pressing down on what had been a rather comfortable place to lie.

"Goodnight Nakatsu…" she replied back to him, trying not to replay the past 10 minutes in her mind. Nakatsu… on her… lips…


	4. Things are Swinging

This was a headache. Mizuki reflected on her previous day, groaning. Izumi had left her a note on his pillow, and it was already the late morning. Izumi had wonderful handwriting. Mizuki always liked reading his notes, and she always kept them, even if they were frivolous. He had left really early this morning, a practice with his younger brother and then breakfast with his dad.

Mizuki wasn't sure she wanted to get out of bed yet. Yuujiro was sleeping on her feet, and the fluff of her blanket was making her so comfortable. If she had gotten that job she would have been up and at a desk 2 hours ago. She wasn't sure how she felt about the desk idea. Was Mizuki the sort of girl for office work? She didn't really know.

A few jobs in high school didn't qualify as experience. College had come and gone. A degree was wrapped up in her paperwork from America. Psychology. She had an aptitude for it, and even though she didn't know what to do with a bachelors in it, that's what she had to work with. That and her English. She rolled onto her stomach, and looked at the dark wood headboard. The whole point of psychology was getting to the doctorate and writing a thesis on a new theory about the mind. Mizuki didn't know if she could go that far.

College had been a struggle for Mizuki. She wasn't stupid, but she wasn't the genius that understood every bit of information set in front of her. Not to mention her social obligations and slightly less than optimal luck. The same awkward situations she had in high school stuck with her through college.

Mizuki really didn't think she could manage another 4 years of school, or even make her own thesis. So what was she going to do with her current degree? Maybe today was the day to make her resume look really appealing, and make those business cards. Her wit was already determining how to make them coy, and make them stand out more to her potential bosses.

Suddenly she was no longer feeling quite so sluggish today. Yuujiro protested as she jumped out of the bed. Her hair was a mess, but she was so full of zest she paid no attention and went bounding toward the stairs and down to the computer. She went into Izumi's office and sat down in the nice swivel chair. The computer was already on, so she started messing around with a few ideas.

From the living room she could faintly hear the sound of snoring. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew Nakatsu would still be at their house. It was only 10 in the morning, so he wouldn't have to be to whatever practice he needed to be at until 2 or 3, and he would have one hell of a hangover when he woke up. She smiled a little bit to herself. Having Nakatsu around reminded her of when he was staying in the dorm quite a few years ago. Come to think of it, that was when he had first become really close to Mizuki.

Her interest in the resume and card started to diminish. She sat at the computer looking at a blank screen. But the interest seemed to be completely gone. This was all very important, but she had the afternoon after he left to work on the 'important details.' She walked quietly toward the couch and saw him still completely dead to the world. Suddenly she remembered how messy she looked. Before she woke him up she should at least comb her hair. She hopped up the stairs and looked at herself in the mirror. Her pajamas were crooked, and their looked to be a nest in the back of her head.

She didn't want to look like this when she woke anybody up, much less Nakatsu. The nest took effort, but it was removed and she put on something a little relaxed but not pajama related and trotted down the stairs again. Nakatsu was still snoring, and she was almost scared to wake him up for the hang over he would have. He rolled onto his back, and seemed to open his eyes very slightly.

He was drooling on the pillow, and now his somehow still perfect hair was lying in the wet spot. Mizuki laughed as quietly as she could, but it was not enough to stop him from waking up. He looked blearily up at her, squinting his eyes so that his nose wrinkled up. This was a face Mizuki was fond of, so she laughed again. Nakatsu figured out her face slowly, and then lurched up, trying to figure out why exactly he was in their house.

"Good morning Nakatsu." She came over and sat down on the couch beside him. He looked so confused Mizuki had to stifle another laugh for the sake of his ears. He was starting to realize exactly how much his head hurt by the hand moving toward his forehead.

"Hi… Mizuki…" He was quiet, like his voice would break glass if he spoke any louder. With still squinted eyes he looked around at the living room, still trying to figure out why he was in their house and not his hotel room. His memory from the night before was hazy. There were bright lights, noodles, and bottles of sake, but that was all. Everything else was shrouded in the darkness of becoming a shade more than drunk.

"How are you feeling Nakatsu?" she rubbed his back a little bit, in an attempt to make him feel better. "Should I make you a hangover remedy?" It was probably the best and only thing she could do for him.

Her hand was on his back. He could feel her fingertips through his shirt. He fell completely silent. This was something that made him feel better. Nakatsu went into an almost trance, echoing the movement of her hand very slightly with his head. Mizuki flushed slightly and pulled her hand away, and stood up quickly. There was a strange beating in her heart at the moment.

"This mix always works." She bolted into the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. Nakatsu was slightly shaken as she bolted away. He wanted to be lulled by a hand on his back. The slight distraction had cut his headache in half, but now that Mizuki was in the kitchen, the comfort was gone, and the headache was in full effect. He stood up on wobbling legs, and moved toward a bar stool beside Mizuki. He felt very much like staying put after that. Mizuki was moving around the kitchen preparing him some sort of beverage, and it looked either absolutely delicious, or the exact opposite. His stomach was unsure of his ability to drink it.

"What time is it Mizuki?" His still sleepy eyes made no attempt to read the digital clock. Somewhere in his mind he knew there were obligations today, but he didn't much want to think about them.

Mizuki added the finishing touches to her delicious mix, and put the glass in front of Nakatsu and inserted a bendy straw. Again she sat down beside him, and made sure he drank every last drop. "It's about 2:30." She looked at him with coy eyes.

It was easy drinking the concoction and the vitamins inside were spreading through his system with ease. Maybe this would make him better. Of course he almost choked when she said 2:30. "Oh my god I have to go I'm so late!" He strung the words together and almost leaped over the kitchen island toward the door. Upon landing he stumbled and almost went down on his knees.

"I'm kidding Nakatsu!" Mizuki followed him around the counter and attempted to support his weight as he almost fell. "It's only 10:30; you have plenty of time to do whatever you need to do." That joke almost made her feel bad, but it was also the most fun she would have all day.

He smiled grimly at her. "Well thanks Mizuki." The chair was calling his name again, and he settled into it, resting his head on the counter. "Do you have anything edible?" He asked after several minutes of silence.

Mizuki was moving around the kitchen, looking in her cabinets and wondering if she could cook anything of worth with what she had left. "I think we may have a problem with that Nakatsu." There was rice, her staple, and there were a few pieces of fruit in the bowl, but nothing to make a good breakfast. "But nothing we can't solve with a walk."

Nakatsu looked at her with flat eyes. There was no energy ready to move his legs. The burst had drained most of his reserves. "If you can go it alone." He yawned and rested his head back on the counter.

The smile that was glued to Mizuki's face didn't leave even with his grumpiness. Nakatsu grumpy only made Mizuki that much more happy. "Of course little Nakatsu." She replied jokingly to him. Before hopping up the stairs to get her purse she put rice into her steamer, and disappeared. A little walk never hurt her, and she could use the chance to clear her mind.

Nakatsu was left sitting on the bar stool alone, and a Yuujiro still curled up in the bedroom. He was almost scared to move for fear of drawing the dogs attention, although Yuujiro had become less violent toward him in these past few days. He had even been on the couch for awhile before going to the room.

But his bladder was pressing. Alcohol was still floating in his system, and he was really in need of a bathroom. He tiptoed down the hall and found the guest bathroom. It was nice. In fact, Nakatsu had never really noticed how nice this place was. It was a home. His heart sunk a little bit. They had a real home. Not only did Sano have Mizuki, but he had this place to come back to.

Nakatsu emerged from the bathroom and sulked to the kitchen again. There were a million reasons for him to just disappear back to his hotel, the primary being he didn't want to intrude on their peace anymore. He couldn't imagine the logic he had used to justify coming here last night. It was like his younger spirit was coming through to allow decisions outside the realm of sanity. He still did things by the seat of his pants, but not nearly like this.

Sano and Mizuki had let him stay at their house when he arrived in a complete drunken stupor. Nakatsu was having an extreme case of post-drunk blues. But he didn't want to leave, so he sat down again, and stared at the wall. What was he trying to do? Mizuki was happy with Sano, and he really shouldn't do anything to disrupt that. He sighed, and watched the clock move a few minutes closer to eleven.

Mizuki skipped down the sidewalk, heading for the market around the corner. It was a small place, but she loved what they had, and bought everything she could from them. They smiled warmly as she came through the door. Their persimmons looked so fresh she almost inhaled one. They would make a good addition to breakfast so she stuffed two in a bag, and glanced around the rest of the store.

Her mind was muddling over the possibilities. A mixed Japanese and American breakfast sounded really good_._ She could make a rice omelet for Nakatsu, and toast with peach jam for herself. She needed some more eggs, bread, milk, and a bit of pork. Maybe some orange juice too. Her bag was loaded, and most of the money in her wallet was gone, but a good rest of the morning and afternoon was on the horizon.

The door creaked open, and Nakatsu looked up, trying to appear slightly less blue. Mizuki peered into the kitchen at him, and lifted up the bag of groceries and smiled. "We have breakfast in a few minutes!" Her bright smile gave him back a bit of his cheer.

A frying pan appeared for the pork, and she shredded it with a fork into a mixture with butter and onion. In a second pan she mixed egg with the rice and let it cook flat like a pancake. Nakatsu took a few deep breaths and felt his headache subsiding. The pork sizzled, and Mizuki popped her bread into her toaster. She hummed a tune and assembled everything on the plates, and set the omelet with a bottle of ketchup in front of Nakatsu with one of the peeled persimmons.

They ate together quietly, Mizuki lost in thought about her resume again, and Nakatsu nursing his ego and headache. The food was good, but his stomach was slightly queasy so he couldn't finish it. He set his head on his hand and smiled weakly at her. "You're all finished Nakatsu?" She raised her eyebrows at him. "Then you mind if I finish it?" He nodded and pushed the plate towards her.

Mizuki began wondering about Nakatsu. She needled him in the side trying to get him to smile a little bit more. He playfully swatted her hand, and smiled, but was still unconvincing for Mizuki. "You want to go for a walk now Nakatsu? The fresh air might make you feel better." He thought about it. Daylight didn't sound good, but fresh air did, and a park would be nice if it was quiet. His hangover wasn't worthy of death, but it was going to be a long day.

"Yeah… as long as it's quiet." He gave her his signature thumbs up, and stood up on slightly less wobbling legs. "Might be good before practice." If there was anything that Nakatsu was not thrilled about, it was going back to his teammates. They were probably all running around the hotel hunting him. Not having his cell phone was surprisingly nice.

They walked down the street together, Mizuki was quiet, and Nakatsu was focusing on squinting his eyes. The neighborhood park had a short path around it and a small playground for the kids around the neighborhood. Trees dotted the side of the path, and Nakatsu appreciated the shade. He sensed a bit of peace here. There was a couple wandering the path with them, but otherwise, the small green patch was almost empty.

The couple smiled as they passed, and Nakatsu and Mizuki continued to walk along in silence. The sun was no longer stabbing his skull, and Nakatsu felt a bit better than he had when they first came out. Some of his energy was returning. The playground was calling his name, but not before finishing walking along the path. This was some of the most enjoyable time he'd had with Mizuki.

Along the sidewalk sat an old woman feeding squirrels. She smiled at them as they passed. Mizuki, noticing the squirrels decided to sit down beside the woman for a few minutes. The woman offered Mizuki a piece of bread to give the squirrels. "Would you like to feed them?"

Mizuki nodded feverishly, and scattered a few bread crumbs around for the squirrels. "Thank you very much!" The squirrels darted around the tidbits, and Mizuki laughed lightly, making Nakatsu smile at her bright manner.

The older woman smiled at the two. "I'm sorry for being forward, but how long have you been together? You make such a cute couple!" She handed another piece of bread to Mizuki, who was redder than a coke can. Nakatsu was about the same color.

"Oh… I'm sorry… he's just a good friend. We aren't actually together." Mizuki stammered while absently tearing the bread. Her knee was bouncing slightly, and she couldn't make eye contact with the woman, or Nakatsu.

"Goodness I'm sorry!" Their elder turned the same color, and looked uncomfortably between the two. Mizuki nodded, stood up, and bowed awkwardly to the woman with Nakatsu.

"Thank you for letting me feed the squirrels." They both smiled at each other, and Nakatsu kicked a rock by his feet. Together, the two continue downed the path, but where it had been comfortable silence, it was now tense. Mizuki was rushing through the past 5 minutes in her head. And then the past 2 hours. And then the hours before bed the night before. It was chaos.

It had been a nice walk, and a nice breakfast, and nice waking him up that morning. Why did everything seem to be so pleasant? There were about 100 things running through Mizuki's mind, and they were all somehow related to Nakatsu. And there were feelings she couldn't figure out there. Occasionally she glanced at him, trying to reason out whatever this chaos was.

Nakatsu didn't have much going on in his mind, other than what was always there. This was Mizuki beside him. As they walked his hand brushed hers, and as always his heart jumped up to his throat. Mizuki stuck her hands in her pockets, and tried to smile at him. She kept completely quiet. They kept completely quiet.

They rounded the last curve of the park, and Nakatsu spotted the park again. He looked toward Mizuki, and smiled before bolting toward the swings. Mizuki wondered what he was doing, and then realized he was running toward the playground. Her legs were suddenly moving as she sprinted after him. She hadn't played on a playground since she was in high school. The energy all around it reminded her of everything she loved when she was younger.

Nakatsu swung around on the monkey bars, occasionally falling to the ground and jumping back up. Mizuki sat on top of them, messing with a flower she picked. Nakatsu tapped the bottom of her foot after he fell again and pointed to the slide. She dropped the flower between the bars, and flipped down onto the sand, and they both jogged toward the curved slide.

Mizuki went first, and then jogged over to the swings, trying to flip over the top like she had when she was a kid. Each time she hit the peak of her swing, she felt her stomach jump into her chest. Nakatsu joined her on the swing beside her, and it became a contest to see who could get higher.

As a child Mizuki remembered swinging with other boys. If she swung in time, they were married. Something strange was happening inside, she made sure they never reached either peak together, but they were only slightly out of time. Suddenly she jumped out of the swing, and went flying through the air into the sand.

She was beginning to feel like it was time to go home. Nakatsu followed her into the sand, and gave her a huge thumbs up. She smiled back at him, and began walking back down the street. Her head was making better sense of everything now. "Man, that woman was silly. Saying we were together…" She laughed lightly, and continued to feel somewhat embarrassed.

Nakatsu nodded his head, and tried his best to laugh in return. He couldn't make it sound convincing. His heart was beating hard in his chest, and he would have given anything to just take Mizuki's hand. But he stopped himself, even though it kept brushing his again.

"I mean..." She never finished the sentence. Her eyes were stuck to the ground, and anything she said would sound hollow. Nothing was making much sense except her want to be home, and see Sano. He would be home by now she hoped. Maybe she could focus on stuff to do with finding a job. Sano would have the evening off so they could go to dinner.

Very slowly, Mizuki could feel everything in her mind settling. Nakatsu felt her hand brushing his less, and everything seemed back the way it always was. They walked together down to the corner, and Nakatsu began to seriously consider parting ways. It was almost 1, and he needed to be pack for practice.

"I should probably get on the bus Mizuki…" He pointed to the stop he had arrived at 12 hours earlier. "I need to get back. Practice and all." Mizuki nodded. The chaos had all but disappeared, but she was sad to see him needing to leave. The truth was she had so few friends here in Japan, and Nakatsu was the only one who made the time nice when Sano wasn't around.

"Come visit us again soon Nakatsu?" She asked while hugging him goodbye. A little but of the turmoil returned while his arms were around her. The same warmth from the first time he had come to visit enveloped her.

Nakatsu nodded. "I will as often as I can, but it's really gonna start getting exciting with the world cup." Suddenly he had a wonderful idea. "What about coming to one of the games! I mean the qualifiers for the world cup..."

"I would love to! I'm sure Sano would like to see you play too!" Mizuki was ecstatic at the proposal. "Is there one in Japan?"

He nodded and started jogging towards the bus that was driving up. "I'll call you later this week!" He shouted towards her, trying to wave to the bus to make sure it didn't drive off. None of the emotion showed on his face as he hopped aboard, but inside there was nothing but pandemonium.


	5. The Last Princess

Sano collapsed onto the couch, Yuujiro following him from the door way. He looked around at the house. It was mostly quiet, Mizuki had to be out. The TV was on. She left it on for Yuujiro sometimes. A show he had seen a few times, but nothing he was especially fond of. Rather, Sano was stuck inside his head. He was thinking about Mizuki. The past, the present, the future. He smiled a bit, remembering good times from high school.

The present was presenting problems though. The endearing qualities that had made him love her were turning into reasons for him to be angry. He began flipping through channels. There were a thousand different shows on, and nothing seemed all that interesting.

He went into the office and sat down in his chair. The day had been long. His nose was healing well, he could jump, but he had to be careful not to roll when he landed. With practice, he was going to be ready for his competition the next week.

He went over things in his mind. The whole week had been a strange string of events, and Sano felt like he needed a good day to reclaim his sanity. This was something he was used to in high school, but not lately. Everything changing so much was not something he needed, or wanted. Especially the latter.

The chair reclined somewhat, and Izumi closed his eyes. Absently he scratched Yuujiro's ears, and felt somewhat at ease. With silence around the house he felt his own spirit settling. The world seemed slightly more within his control. "Oh Yuujiro…" He scratched the dogs head a little more. "If only it could be this peaceful a little more often."

Over the last three years, Sano had begun to realize that he needed to get his life together in more ways than just high jumping. He was living off savings and his winnings, but he couldn't do it the rest of his life. Regular jobs were necessary. Or at least they would become necessary when he was no longer able to high jump.

How wealthy was he? He was approaching famous for his sport. The paparazzi hounded him periodically if there wasn't much interesting going on. People recognized him on the street, and those nurses sure went crazy over him. But he didn't have any endorsements. He won a few competitions a year, but during winter, all he did was practice and spend time at home.

A few offers for endorsements had come his way, but he didn't want something he didn't believe in. Or didn't actively use. Wasn't the whole point of having an endorsement to make his life a little easier? For now he was fine buying his Nike's. The Olympic committee provided most things anyway. But how much money he didn't have to spend now, didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't need more later.

High jumping, as much of a talent it was to him, was still a sport. He would get older. He would loose his leg strength. Even if he stayed the very best for the next 10 years, it would fall away eventually. Chances were he only had another 5 or 6 good years. The future must come.

While in America, he had spent most of his time in training. He used English enough to be fluent now, but it was getting rusty being in Japan again. He had no degree to speak of. Izumi was feeling somewhat unprepared, and that was something he really didn't like. Maybe he could learn Chinese.

He heard the door open in the entry way and a few light steps move within. Mizuki slid on her house slippers, and then skipped through the rest of the entryway. "Sano, where are you? Are you home?" He heard her voice echo through his office.

The noise almost hurt his ears, even though her voice sounded musical to him. "I'm in here Mizuki…" Yuujiro trotted towards Mizuki's voice, leaving Sano's hand to touch nothing but air. He leaned forward and turned his eyes toward the door. Mizuki appeared a moment after, and leaned against the frame, smiling at him. "Hello…" He couldn't help but smile at her.

She trotted over to him and sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around him. Sano felt slightly uncomfortable with all her weight on him, but it was nice to have her close. He hugged her and nudged her slightly off him. She seemed slightly down with him pushing her off, but she got up, and he stood up along side her. "How was your day?"

"I guess it was okay." Without a job, Mizuki didn't really have very much to do on any given day. "I worked on our garden for awhile today, and then went out to buy some classifieds." She pulled up her bag and showed him the magazines with her perspective jobs inside. "Even if it's only a part time job, at least it's something."

She turned around and walked down the hall. He listened to her foot steps grow faint and finally disappear up the stairs. Yuujiro looked up at him as he sat back down in the chair. His bangs fell over his eyes and he didn't have the interest to blow them away. He could hear her again above him. She was sitting on the bed now, probably reading over the first few listings.

On some level he knew she was trying. He looked at the glowing computer screen. Something inside Sano Izumi was changing. There was a sudden need to find her. He trotted up the stairs and up to their room. She was sitting exactly where he thought she would be, and a bright red pen rested on her bedside table. Her eyebrows were arched in surprise.

He reached his hand out toward her. Mizuki furrowed her eyebrows in response. Sano was acting unusual to say the least. At first he was acting like he didn't want her close, and now he had his hand out for hers. "Let's go do something, Mizuki." He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her back down the stairs.

The outside air was cool tonight, left over from winter. She put on her jacket, and took a few steps down the porch. "What are we going to do Izumi?" She leaned against the railing as Sano locked the door behind them. He followed her down the stairs and toward the car. Really he wasn't sure what they could do. Neither of them particularly liked clubs. Sano had already eaten dinner. He couldn't really think of any carnivals or something like that in town.

"What about a movie?" It seemed the only really good idea he could have. There were plenty out, either something Japanese, or perhaps something subtitled. Mizuki nodded in agreement. She shuffled toward the car, thinking about how strange Sano was acting. The drive to the theater was mostly quiet between the two. Mizuki watched the lights and cars go by, Sano focused on his driving. The nighttime traffic added to their drive, but it didn't take long to reach the theater.

As they arrived at the parking lot Mizuki spotted an ice cream stand. She pulled Sano across the street towards it, wanting some peach ice cream. Sano scrunched his nose in disapproval. As appealing as oden flavored ice cream sounded, he couldn't steel his stomach to the idea. Mizuki handed a few yen to the man running the stand, and happily inhaled the orangey-pink mound of frozen milk. Sano shook his head, and they walked back to the theater, Mizuki clinging a bit closer, slightly cold from the dessert.

Across the marquee were a few new movies, and an old Kurosawa classic. Or at least what he thought was an old Kurosawa classic.

Sano looked at a movie poster and remembered vaguely talk of a remake. Kurosawa was a crafter of movies Sano generally enjoyed. The idea of a remake of The Hidden Fortress seemed like it would be wonderful, or tank. He thought about it for a few minutes and finally decided it was worth the chance. "What about this?" He pointed to the poster, asking Mizuki who was looking at a poster for Sunadokei. She glanced over the poster and nodded her head, it seemed like it would be interesting. Kurosawa was like Spielberg, everyone knew his name. A director had to be ambitious to remake his work. They shuffled into the theater and took up seats in a middle row.

Over the course of the night, Mizuki found herself engrossed in the blossoming love story between the peasant and the princess. Sano found himself being put off by the very same. The princess of the first movie had gone through the very same transformation from naïve to mature, but the peasant's involvement beyond anything but bumbling side kick was new. Not to mention the unnecessary explosions.

He left the theater feeling as though his life had not been enriched after the end of the movie, something which any Kurosawa film always did. The master was still the master. Mizuki followed behind, putting her popcorn remnants into the trashcan. She jogged up to Sano and wrapped her arm around his. "That was a wonderful movie!" Her arm squeezed his a little bit.

"Kurosawa is turning in his grave." Sano responded flatly. He held her arm but did not turn to face her. Perhaps that was too cruel. Mizuki released his arm and looked up at him. It wasn't as if he couldn't disagree with her, but that wasn't really necessary.

"It's a different movie Sano. Appreciate it for what it is." Mizuki expounded a bit of wisdom on him. Even if it wasn't the same movie, it had its merits. And she had liked it, beyond just the idealistic love story. The character growth was more expansive, and the wonder of modern film had made the colors so much more rich.

"I know, but a movie shouldn't be remade if they can't keep the roots of the characters intact. The two peasants were both greedy and foolish in the original, and they did not grow at the end. The point is the corruptive power of money on those that don't have it and then suddenly do. Not to mention the complete lack of a love story." The more he thought about it, the more he found the movie to be lacking Kurosawa's meaning. Why take a phenomenal film and turn it into something mediocre?

Mizuki shook her head. "Just because he changed the characters and added a bit of romance, it's a terrible movie? The movie has a more positive message, that anyone can make themselves better. Is that really a negative addition to the story line?" She hadn't seen The Hidden Fortress in years, but she remembered not enjoying it as much she just enjoyed this movie.

"So taking someone's creation and changing it a little bit makes it better? He couldn't have made that movie good without Kurosawa having made it better first." Sano didn't even really want to argue anymore about the movie. It was just a movie. He didn't even really feel like talking anymore.

"Fine…" Mizuki felt a kind of finality under this discussion. Even if she wanted to say something else, there wasn't much point. Why fight? They fought enough right now about bigger things.

The drive home was mostly quiet. The radio droned in the background, and the sounds of the city slowly faded. Yuujiro was running around inside the house when they got back, excited to see his proverbial parents again. Mizuki pulled him outside into the yard, and sat down in the grass, throwing his ball. Sano stalked around the house, cleaning up a little bit, needing to funnel his energy somewhere. The night was quiet, and Mizuki felt her spirit still heavy. What was going on? Why were they fighting so much right now? Yuujiro laid his head down in her lap, and she scratched between his ears, appreciating the company.

Inside she wasn't angry, just confused and frustrated. Why on earth was it suddenly so difficult for the two of them to just get along? If he didn't snap at her for something she did, it felt like the day wasn't complete. Was this him imposing a form of self improvement on her? It wasn't something she really wanted if it was. She understood why he could be angry about her not having a job, but what else was there she could do? Everything she did was an attempt to keep him happy. Cook dinner, try to keep the house clean, be attentive to the dog, and generally keep as much of an even keel as possible. She knew no better definition of a house wife.

For Sano, it was what she didn't do that seemed to be counting for more. He stuffed a few papers through his shredder, and flipped through a few old letters. No matter what though, he had loved her first. It was true that Mizuki had always been a little denser than he. Well meaning, but not always aware of everything around her. He leaned back in his chair again, and looked up into the dark.

Maybe it was him being unreasonable. Maybe it wasn't. He really didn't know anymore. He did now that his energy was disappearing and he had another practice in the morning. The world fell into silence all around him. His eyes slid closed and without Mizuki or Yuujiro to keep him awake, his chair pulled him into sleep. It felt so wonderful to be alone at the moment.

It was getting colder and colder outside. Yuujiro was pulling on Mizuki's hems, trying to get her inside. Slowly she pulled herself out of the grass, and walked slowly up the stairs. The house was almost entirely silent, and the lights were mostly off. Mizuki headed up the stairs towards their room, expecting to find Sano either preparing for bed or already asleep.

Everything upstairs mimicked the downstairs, dark and quiet. She touched the side of the bed where Sano normally slept and found nothing. Everything was still neatly made. She hopped down the stairs and began poking through the rest of the house. Yuujiro sat in the hallway next to his office, and seemed to be motioning her in that direction.

His head resting on the back of his chair, Mizuki found Sano. He looked peaceful surrounded by all the things in this office that were his. She leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed. She had no heart to wake him up from his slumber; he would do that himself later. Instead she walked over to the chair and kissed him on the forehead. She brushed his hair back, and smiled down at him.


	6. The Elephants and The Samurai

This is going to be a pretty name heavy chapter, I'm sorry about that. Blue Samurai is the nickname of the Japanese national team, as well as Okada Japan and Nippon Daihyo, meaning Japanese Representatives. The Côte d'Ivoire team is also known as The Elephants.

* * *

Kirin was a fine beer. Nakatsu had a healthy respect for its intoxicative properties. He sat on the bench in Toyota Stadium, getting ready for the game against Côte D'Ivoire. This was his second national game, and the butterflies were almost getting to the ever confident Nakatsu. He had scored the game winning point at the East Asian Cup that got them into the finals. Did that mean there was pressure on him to do it again? He hadn't even been a starter on the team. Coach Okada had brought him in a little after half time in order to revitalize the team. Young face, and a few of his team mates from JL were already on the field.

So now at the Kirin Cup, he was a starter. His track suit sat folded neatly beside him. His cleats and socks sat on top. Even though the game was close to beginning, he wasn't completely ready. A few of his other teammates moved around behind him. Most of them were from teams he normally played. Teams like the Kashima Antlers, and Urawa Red Diamonds. The biggest part of playing on the national team was learning to play as a team. Despite the fact that they didn't normally interact at all, Nakatsu was learning to get along with even a few rivals. Normally he took the rivalries very seriously. So much so that the coach had to sit down with Nakatsu after one of the training games.

That had been a fun conversation. "Nakatsu." "Yes Coach?" "Stop trying to kick your teammates." That might have been a little bit of an overstatement, but it was true. Nakatsu didn't really pass to anyone except for his few present teammates on Gamba. And even if it looked like it was an accident, he had tripped Yuki Abe of the Red Diamonds, solely because Yuki was a Red Diamond. The rivalry between their clubs wasn't solidified, but Nakatsu liked to make it more prevalent. It gave the game so much more excitement whenever they played.

But that did not work well for Coach Okada. Nakatsu was more of a determent than an aid if he was going to run around hindering other players. It was a swift lesson, but Nakatsu had learned it. In fact, Abe had become a friend over the past month. The fact that Nakatsu was actually a very enjoyable person was helpful. He had a dream to be the backbone of morale for the national team. As of now it was just a dream though.

Right now, asking him to be the morale of anything would have poor results. He definitely needed a little bit from someone else just to get himself going. A handful of socks appeared in front of Nakatsu's face. "You okay there Sunflower?" He heard the familiar voice of Yasuhito Endo. "It looks as though you are in need of socks."

"Yeah Endo…" He took the socks from him and finished dressing for the game. "Just a little nervous right now." He scratched the back of his head and sighed.

His senior teammate sat down beside Nakatsu. "That's unusual for you. Never seen you nervous in Osaka. You're always running around the locker room." Right now Shinji Kagawa, the youngest team member, was the one running around. Although it didn't look like it was to inspire confidence in the team. He was missing a cleat.

"I guess so. Kind of an… interesting few weeks." But Nakatsu did not feel like right now was the best time to reflect about Mizuki. Nakatsu also didn't really feel like sharing his weaknesses with his superior. It was not wise to be so free with emotions.

"Well. You start every game in Osaka, and you do here now too. That speaks well for your game. As for the reason you seem to disappear anytime we're in Tokyo… maybe you should either go for it, or stop torturing yourself. It's not good for your game to have your heart in two different places Nakatsu. Just think that who… or whatever it is in Tokyo is watching." Endo put his hand on Nakatsu's shoulder and stood up. "Gambare… as we say." They both smiled at the simple pun.

Nakatsu watched as Endo headed toward the locker room exit. Most of the players were already on the field finishing their warm ups. A bit of his energy had returned, and it was true, maybe that person was watching today. He had to play well, if only so that he didn't lose face. And there was the noodle shop that would surely be watching for him. He tied his cleats, and jogged up and onto the field. Toyota Stadium was laid out in front of the team. The awning above was open and there were ominous clouds. It would rain. But that made no difference to Nakatsu. His home stadium was open air.

The seats were mostly occupied, some 40000 people watching the game. He felt a bit nervous still. Across the field the Côte D'Ivoire warmed up. The Kirin cup was always such an unusual collaboration of teams. Nakatsu felt like it was which ever the Kirin Company thought would be the three most atypical teams to play together. Paraguay was the third in the competition, having already faced Côte D'Ivoire a few days earlier. This year Japan was the defending team, and Nakatsu very much wanted to continue their title. Nakatsu was nothing if not prideful of his home and team.

The cheers which met his ears revitalized whatever strains were still missing from his spirits. He waved a little bit to the crowd before trotting up toward the coach. They still had about 10 minutes before the start of the game, but the coach was already looking a bit strained. Okada Japan had to be a powerful force in soccer. This week he was putting in a few men from teams in other parts of the world, and even though they had a few practices together, it was still a risk.

Takeshi Okada was now their best shot at a World Cup bid, even if the competition was steep. Nakatsu had his heart set on being a part of that. Just being on the national team was not enough; he had to go all the way. The coach assigned everyone their starting positions, and they took up their side on the field. If Team Japan had played Côte D'Ivoire ever before, it was news to Nakatsu. No matter how much footage one watched of the challenging nation, the game itself was always a surprise.

As a forward, Nakatsu was standing close to midfield, waiting for his signal to either run forward and watch for the ball from a teammate, or run backwards and try to get it back. Nakatsu could feel the energy of his team all around him, and could hear the crowd in the background. His eyes closed briefly before the kick off, turning on some strange focus that only existed on these fields. Everything was now soccer. His only goal was to make points happen, either by assist or on his own.

The green of the grass met his eyes, and the ball was in play. The field was now a war zone to Nakatsu. Violent Irish jigs were playing in his head, songs the IRA would love. This was his soundtrack to soccer, his feet moved in time with the beat. The team moved as a unit, the defenders hanging back and the forwards charging. Their opponents were on point, each guarding their man. It was a few minutes, the ball bouncing between the teams until Nakatsu got a hold of it and charged forward. None the Côte D'Ivoire defenders were near him, and he zeroed in on the goal. He desperately wanted to take the shot, but it was off sides. The defender appeared next to him, and another was between the goal and his spot. He passed to Yoshito Okubo who dribbled it for a moment and saw a very open Yuto Nagatomo. Nakatsu jogged forward a little farther and watched Nagatomo take the shot. The Côte D'Ivoire goalie bounced it off his fingertips.

And so the game went on. About 15 minutes later, Nakatsu could feel the magic in the air. He was running up the field. A midfielder passed him the ball, a few defenders were around the goal, and he could see a clear shot for Keiji Tamada. He passed it forward and Tamada slid into it, and the ball met the net. The crowd erupted into joy. Tamada ran around the field with a huge smile. For the next 20 minutes up until half time, Japan controlled the ball. Nakatsu shot at the goal a few times, however Aristide Zogbo, the goalie for Côte D'Ivoire, managed to stop every advance. But the joy of the goal still remained.

Half time came, and Nakatsu flopped down on the same bench he was sitting on earlier. His hair was wet from rain and sweat, but his screaming fans found it wonderful. Nakatsu wasn't yet a household name, but he had his following. The girl from the noodle bar fit nicely into that category. He smiled about her. That was strange. He was smiling about something not related to soccer. Or Mizuki. Nakatsu raised his eyebrows.

"Nice pass earlier, sunflower." Tamada reached out his hand to Nakatsu who only barely heard the compliment. On some level it registered as such, but he was still focused on his thoughts. Nakatsu took Tamada's hand, and they preformed a nice little handshake which Shusaku Nishikawa had made during winter training. He had been released from the team, but the handshake stuck. "You awake there Nakatsu?" Tamada waved his hand in front of Nakatsu's eyes.

"Hah, yeah." Nakatsu snapped himself out of his thoughts again, and looked up at Tamada. "Of course it was an excellent pass!" That was Nakatsu fashion. "After all, what would you be without me." Tamada grinned at Nakatsu and walked up towards the coach who appeared to be rallying the team.

Nakatsu followed shortly behind Tamada. Okada was standing beside the locker room door, holding up a sign that he had snagged from a fan in the stands. It read Victorious Blue Samurai. It was a simple sign, and the kanji were awkwardly written. "I got this from a kid about 7 years old. He loves this team and wants to join it someday. I want you all to remember that he loves you as a team. You are all only as great as the man next to you, and how much respect you have for that person." Okada pulled a pen from his pocket and handed it to his goalie. "I want all of you to put your names on this sign, and always remember that, whether or not the game is for prestige, money, or just a friendly match, you are representing Japan." Nakatsu was brimming with pride. When the pen made its way around to him, he drew a little Nakatsu figure with his number on it, and signed his name next to it.

Who knew, that little kid could be just like him. If a coach had done something like this when he was younger, he might have focused more on getting into the youth leagues before he got out of junior high, and not finally decided to work his way up near the end of high school. He hoped to someday see this kid talking about the poster and his inspiration for being on the national team. To pass on the love of soccer was one of Nakatsu's many desires.

"This half don't risk the lead, they aren't going to be used to the length of grass still, plus the rain. If you see a goal, take it, but control the ball more than you risk it." The coach took the poster back, and they all focused together for a few minutes, before everyone headed back out onto the field.

The second half did not go as smoothly for team Japan as the first half had. Despite the coach's very inspiring speech and advice for the rest of the game, the passes were awkward, there were very few goal opportunities, and their goalie had his work cut out for him. The Elephants controlled the ball for almost the entire second half, but for every chance that they took to shoot, the very experienced Seigo Narazaki somehow managed to stop them short. Nakatsu found a yellow card thrown on him 15 minutes before the end, and in an attempt to revitalize the players, the coach switched him out. A few new faces graced the field, and the last minutes passed.

Lucky for the Blue Samurai, not a single goal made it into the net. The crowd was less inspired, but Japan was still victorious. The team retreated from the field wet and exhausted. Nakatsu jumped around a little bit, and did his best to be the morale he hadn't been earlier. They had another game together in 3 days against Paraguay, and it was never too early to start energizing their team.

The coach sat down with the whole team and went over the game with them; the yellow cards that were thrown, the failed passes in the second half, and the pass that got them the only goal of the game. It was a good two hours before he let the team go, and Nakatsu found himself sitting in the same place, a few of his teammates sitting beside him. Here in Toyota he had no idea what to do. After a victory in Osaka everyone always went out to celebrate. Half the team was returning to the hotel, but Nakatsu felt a strong urge to not just go to sleep. This was victory for Okada Japan. If he always celebrated a home game win, he had to do it bigger for the national team.

He glanced around at the faces still seated beside him. They all looked slightly dazed, and none of them were from this area. But Keiji was. Nakatsu got up and began hunting around the locker room. If anyone knew the area, he would, and even if he didn't come out, he'd at least be able to point them in the right direction. Nakatsu put his arm around Keiji's shoulders as he put on his jacket. "My friend Tamada!"

Keiji put up his hand in salute. "Yes my friend Nakatsu?" He turned toward his younger teammate. The game had definitely worn Tamada out, but he wasn't devoid of humor.

"I was wondering where we could go to celebrate." The guys around them perked up a little bit at the idea of going out. Most of the games had ended with everyone in the hotel, those that played on the same teams in Japan enjoying a celebration together. A few of the older national team players would celebrate with a drink, but it was never the whole team together. Nakatsu felt that needed to change. He might not like the other teams that everyone played on, but the individuals on those teams were all upstanding people. After all, he had to see a few of them as his equal… or even superior.

Tamada sat down on the bench and tied his shoes, thinking about the area. Toyota didn't have much to offer as far as he knew, but he knew the perfect place in Nagoya. "Well… first we need to go back to the hotel, and then I know the perfect place for all of us to go." Tamada grinned at Nakatsu who returned the salute and marched off toward his bench.

They all loaded into the bus headed back to Nagoya. The next day they would be on their way to Saitama again to play Paraguay, but until then, they were free. Nakatsu particularly liked his position because it gave him the opportunity to do pretty much anything he wanted. Never had the world been so much his oyster. The bus was humming with excitement at going out that night, and Nakatsu was pleased to find out that everyone was going to come along. A team that parties together stays together. Or at least until the coach reassigned positions in a month or so. The coming and going of players made it that much more important for the core of the team to stay positive.

The bus pulled into the covered area beside the hotel entrance and everyone unloaded and marched into the lobby. Load after load of soccer players emerged onto their floor, hunting for room keys, discussing the game, and emerging back out in slightly more comfortable clothing than just their track suits and tennis shoes. Nakatsu skipped up and down the hallway, rounding up the stragglers and then all surrounding Tamada's room.

Tamada emerged a few minutes after Nakatsu knocked on his door. "Alright, gentleman! We are going to bar called Strikers, it is small, it is cramped, there is a party room that may or may not be in use. Our goal tonight is to either take over the bar, or obliterate the party room with snacks, drinks, and general merriment. Do you all understand your orders?" Tamada stood rigid as a drill sergeant, and scanned his disorganized ranks. Everyone nodded and they began to march in time toward the elevators singing a song of victory.

The subway was busy, but not so busy they couldn't find a mostly empty car to their stop. The few other occupants recognized faces, and spoke often to Tamada, Nakamura, and Narazaki; all members of Nagoya's home team. Commenting on things like their excellent start to the season, or their first loss to Tokyo Verdy. Nakatsu knew that they would be one of the teams to beat, and Gamba was having a rough start. But this was not time to think of the league. The focus was still on the national team.

Tamada escorted everyone out of the subway at the appropriate stop, and they emerged onto the streets in a disorganized mass; everyone carrying on their own conversation, and not with just their teammates. They turned a corner, and Tamada stopped everyone in front of a door. "Welcome to Strikers, proceed with the merriment!" He opened the door and a small, but fairly busy bar met their eyes. The manager looked up at the open door, and the cluster or faces entering his establishment.

"Tamada!" He called out after realizing who it was that was ushering everyone in. "I wasn't expecting you until the next home game!" The manager rushed out, and ushered the team further in. The tables were all filled with faces now focused on the new patrons, almost everyone realizing that this was the national team. The room was filled with shock and awe. Nakatsu liked being part of something that stopped all conversation.

"Hello Matsukawa." Tamada emerged to the front of the team, and reached out his hand to the manager. "I didn't know I would be back in so soon, but Nakatsu here," Tamada pulled him forward and put his arm around Nakatsu's shoulder, "wanted to celebrate our win in style." Nakatsu wasn't really sure this was 'style,' but it did qualify as what he had in mind.

Matsukawa glanced around the room and realized the complete lack of space. "The party room is free, so I'm going to send you in there." He guided the team back into what would be their residence for the next 5 to 6 hours. Nakatsu was happy to explore. There were darts, karaoke, and a foosball table. Ideal for a soccer team.

Everyone settled in, a few playing darts, a rotation going at karaoke, and a contest at foosball. Nakatsu sat on a bar stool next to Abe and Tamada, all three drinking from a bottle of Asahi. The name Kirin had been mentioned enough today, but Nakatsu could feel wanting one soon. The Asahi bottle was almost empty by now. They were descending into more personal conversations. It wasn't long before Nakatsu knew the ins and outs of Abe's move to the Red Diamonds and Tamada had shared his past with the National team.

The men sat quietly for a few minutes, waiting for their third bottle of Kirin. Nakatsu could sense the familiar feeling from the early stages of drunk setting in. The last time he felt this, he had ended up at Mizuki's. Somehow, that didn't seem like a problem today. Come to think of it, he had never fully explained to the team what happened that night and the following day.

"You want to know why I disappeared that day before practice in April?" He posed the question while taking another sip from his beer, and taking a bite from the plate before him. "It seems like we still have plenty of time before anyone is ready to head back to the hotel." A few of the other players were dancing in the middle of the open room, and there was still a huge line for karaoke.

Yuki filled all the beers again. "Yeah, we all wondered why you weren't around for breakfast and then suddenly appeared at practice." He recalled the strange day for everyone, hunting through the hotel for Nakatsu and then realizing he wasn't anywhere.

"Well, I couldn't sleep, and there wasn't anything on TV, like always, so I decided to go hunting for some food the night before. I wound up in this tiny noodle shop a few blocks from the hotel." He took another sip of the beer. "This was right after the game versus China, and I was still super happy from the goal I scored." He stood up in order to perform the actions of the waitress he had later befriended. "After I sat down, a woman maybe 18 appeared from the kitchen, and she squeaked my name so loud I thought my eardrum popped. She then proceeded to run around like I had when I scored said goal." Of course, he slid across the wood panel floor before finding his way into his bar stool. "They provided me with a free bottle of sake, and then made me an Osaka inspired dish to my specification."

He could still taste the broth and the sake as it mixed all together. "I swear I haven't ever enjoyed a soup so much." He paused and gathered his thoughts. Everything about the story got hazy from here. "So, I ended up drinking three bottles of sake to myself while I ate, and was fairly drunk. When I got ready to go, I realized that I had left my wallet in the hotel room. I had a few hundred yen in change with me, but nothing close to enough to pay."

"Were there dishes?" Tamada interjected, poring into Nakatsu's glass. "Because I can see you doing dishes."

"Thanks Tamada… no there weren't dishes. In fact, instead I ended up cooking the chef dinner. And then we sat and drank another bottle of sake all together because the restaurant was slow. When I finally started to head back to the hotel I realized exactly how much I had left in the hotel room. My key… my phone… everything I needed."

"Why didn't you come get one of us?" Abe asked, enjoying Nakatsu's complete lack of common sense.

"Well, I was drunk, and I didn't want to bother anybody, not to mention that was when I still believed the rivalry between our teams was supposed to be personal, Abe. Instead I used the little bit of change to get on the subway and then on a bus to a friends house in northern Tokyo. The bus driver actually threw me out of the bus when I tried to get off in front of their house." Both the men sitting at the counted imagined Nakatsu flying through the air. "I ended up staying at those friends' house, and in the morning, a girl I've known since high school nursed me back to health."

Nakatsu twirled his glass around, thinking about the night and the following day. He had adopted a strange silence as he finished the story, and stared into the emptiness as if it had meaning. Abe and Tamada looked puzzled at Nakatsu. "Well I guess that actually explains a few things." Tamada peered knowingly into Nakatsu's soul. "So are you going to be visiting this friend, who is a girl, again when we are in Tokyo again?"

He twitched slightly at the question. "Oh… no… she's got her own stuff to worry about. I can't actually believe I imposed myself on them like that. I did stuff like that in high school, but I try to be a little more… composed… now a days. Can't just go running around randomly asking to stay with people." But the truth was he always wanted to go visit them. Even if it meant taking the train from Osaka everyday.

Tamada and Abe could tell. Nakatsu was not very good at hiding his core emotions, especially from those that were close to him at all. But this was not something they really wanted to delve into with him at the moment. They were all working on a fifth bottle of beer, and none of them were sober enough to give or accept advice.

Instead, Nakatsu stumbled his way to the karaoke machine. After glancing through the library, he picked a song that just seemed to speak to him. Something by the KinKi Kids, called 'Ne, Ganbaru yo.' He butchered the song, but his drunken teammates had a jolly good time of it. Abe and Tamada remained at their counter, and Nakatsu wandered aimlessly around the room until he finished the last of his beer. It was only a little past eleven, but Nakatsu had very little energy left inside.

"Abe… Tamada…" he put his hands on their shoulders, swaying a little bit. "I believe I'm going to return to the hotel a bit early tonight." He gave them both a good hair ruffling, and trudged toward the main bar. Everyone paused for a second as he exited the room, a few people slightly concerned, but it was Nakatsu, he was prone to strange actions. Nakatsu dropped a few ten thousand yen notes for the manager, and teetered out their front door, determined to return to the hotel and then pass out, and most importantly, not think about Mizuki anymore.


	7. Takatobi

The bag hung heavy on his shoulder, filled with his track gear and a few books to pass the time. Sano was a few thousand miles away from Japan in a qualification round for the International Finals. It was funny to be in another country for a competition that would be held in his home. The weather of Germany seemed a bit colder than Japan. The team had arrived a few days early to adjust to the time change. This was something Sano was very used to after all the traveling he had done, but being halfway around the world from his home was still a challenge.

Drizzle spotted his hotel window, and he threw the bag onto the nearest chair. Stuttgart spread out before his eyes. The plane had only touched down a few hours before, so Sano had a few hours before it become a good idea to sleep. He sat down on the edge of his bed, and looked around the non-descript room. Strangely, he felt comfortable in these blank surroundings.

There was nothing specific he needed to do, and in an hour or so, the team was going out for dinner. Until then, it was up to Sano to keep himself awake. He urged himself onto the floor, and stretched his legs out at angles. His body was tight from the plane ride, and a good stretch sounded agreeable. He leaned forward, pulling his tense muscles. His shoulders burned inside, none of his stretches reaching the deep knots.

These particular knots were not from the plane, or from his sport. These knots were from restless sleep, and the stress he tried to prevent so much. Absently he rubbed his shoulders, not allowing any particular thoughts to enter his mind. Instead he played music in his mind. His legs relaxed a bit as he sat up. There were many reasons for him to be focusing on the music in his mind.

Mizuki had brought Sano to the airport a little bit before the rest of the team had arrived. They had been fighting less since the last incident, but Sano still felt the strains beneath the surface. Every moment he was feeling the stress a little more. The knots from his back were from this burden he carried. It the past few years since they had come together, he had changed. The way she acted was a consistent reminder of times that had passed. She acted as if they were allowed to be completely carefree. Sano could no longer agree.

But these were not thoughts in Sano's mind. He refused to think of it. Being here was a reason to not think of it. Being here was a chance to be alone. He stood back up from his spot on the floor, and returned to the bed. Inside his bag he pulled out his newest book. The comforter wasn't as comfortable as his own, but it accommodated him, and he lay back, opening the book to last section.

Over the past few weeks he had worked through the endless twisting sentences. The novel left him with a strange feeling, particularly the utterly disconnected main character. Inside his bag, he heard the faint notes of his simple ring. A phone didn't need a full length song. Briefly he considered letting it go, but few people called him unless it was a necessity. He set the book down on the edge of the side table. As he shifted the weight of the bed, it fell closed, losing his page. Oh what a surprise. The phone stopped ringing before he could open his bag. Another surprise. The missed call log listed Mizuki more than once. He sat down on the bed again, running his thumb over the screen.

The thoughts returned to him as a slow and steady wave. The strange pull in his heart away from what he knew was wonderful emerged. But inside, Sano knew he had no reason to feel as he did. Lying back down, he dialed the phone number out of memory. It rang a few times before Mizuki picked up, a strange hello, confused by whether or not she was still leaving a message.

"Hey Mizuki." He responded in a muted manner. "I'm sorry I didn't answer." The apology was half hearted, but sounded honest enough over the thousands of miles. Mizuki made a sound of understanding, letting go with all the hundred other things that could be a potential disaster.

"I'm glad you're okay Sano. I was worried when you didn't answer…" She trailed off, leaving many things unspoken. "How was the plane ride?"

Sano let the silence settle across the line. Is this what conversations would become? "It was alright. No sleep, but that's always best." He closed his eyes, letting the darkness move him back to Japan, feeling his comforter and Mizuki lying beside him. There was still some peace to be found somewhere.

"It's true. Those plane rides from America to Japan taught me that." Her eyes were blurry, and even though she should have been awake for at least an hour, she was still lying in the exact same spot on the bed, Sano's pillow under her head. He hadn't left her a note to find this time. Instead Mizuki flipped through a few of the oldest. It was a question she already knew the answer to, but it was something to fill the silence. "When is your competition?" After all, there was always a chance it could get rescheduled, the weather in Germany was always temperamental.

Sano knew Mizuki would be laying on his pillow, so he imagined his head resting on hers. "Not until Saturday… It isn't as warm as Japan, but it won't rain…" It took a bit of searching, but Sano had managed to find the glow that still came from the girl who couldn't seem to get much right.

They talked for a few minutes, the words awkward, but Mizuki could feel the warmth that Sano felt, and knew what he was picturing. "I'll be there to pick you up on Monday… unless there's something you have to do with the team…"

"I'll let you know… and I'll call you after the competition…" Sano opened his eyes, returning to his room in Stuttgart. His door shuttered slightly as a team mate knocked on his door. "Mizuki… I think it's time for me to go to dinner." She sighed into the phone and made a sound of acceptance.

"Call me before you go to bed?" Mizuki held one of the notes to her chest. "I love you Sano…" The last sentence came out a bit more muddled.

"I will, and I love you too… Bye." Sano flipped his phone shut, and called out toward his visitor. "Just a second!" His book was still lying on the floor. He picked it up, thumbing through the pages, attempting to recognize a passage.

"Jeez Sano, take a little longer!" Kagurazaka called through the door, leaning against the wall. "I just wanted to make sure you were awake. We're supposed to be downstairs in 10 minutes." He tapped his fingers against the door for effect.

Eventually Sano set down the book, and left the bookmark sitting on top. Attempting to find his page right now would be pointless since he couldn't continue reading anyway. He opened the door, and his somewhat rival and spiky haired friend looked inside. "It looks like every other room Kagurazaka, but if you must, you can come in." Sano stepped aside to allow him in.

"Nah, my room is a little bigger I think. Besides, I'd rather just go downstairs." He walked down the hall slowly while Sano grabbed his room key, and jacket. His hunger was pulling him forward.

Sano pulled the door closed behind him, and jogged up to Makoto. A few of their other teammates emerged into the hallway and entered the elevator. They were mostly quiet, and although there was a semblance of team spirit, most of them weren't really friends. Everyone had their own events and spent most of their time with others in the same event. Kagurazaka had become a friend to Sano because of that.

"How was Mizuki?" He pushed the button down to the lobby, and looked at his reflection in the elevator doors. Although Sano didn't share much of his personal life, Makoto knew things had been rocky for Sano as of late. At the end of the previous year, Sano had been jumping almost the best he ever had, this year his performances weren't quite so stellar. Kagurazaka knew that the waxing and waning of whatever their relationship was correlated to Sano's jumping. It was a pity.

Sano put his jacket on and looked at Makoto's reflection. "Okay… she has been looking for jobs, but there hasn't been much yet." He didn't go into any details, too many people, and too few reasons to even want to talk about it. Better to keep the warm feeling he still had.

"That's a good smile Sano." Kagurazaka emerged out of the elevator, their coach standing near the lobby entrance. "You'd almost think you're gonna jump well tomorrow." Sano shot him a defiant look. But it was true, and Sano knew it. "You know… you have a good thing Sano. You over think things, and if you're in some strange funk, I don't have a rival. And I like having a rival.

Sano nodded slightly, Makoto somehow always had decent wisdom for him. "Don't worry. I'll be focused on the competition. What would I tell Mizuki if you were the one who beat me?"


	8. Another Day, No Dollar

Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. I hope everyone enjoys it, but chances are, it's not going to be the best chapter of the whole story. Give constructive criticism if you can think of a way to make it better. I will happily edit this chapter until it seems up to par. I just finally decided it was better to post it than keep pouring over it.

* * *

The last few pages printed, and Mizuki stacked them up, thumbing through the heavy white paper. She was happy with her resume. It still looked a little meager, but her brother had helped her a bit, cushioning areas lacking the sparkle Mizuki needed. The fact that her tourist visa would expire in a month and a half did not give her much hope. In school it hadn't been a problem, but now, there was no reason for her to be living in Japan. Sano and she weren't married, and she hadn't found a job. And it wasn't like she could just take a part time menial task. Chances were a company giving her that kind of work wouldn't be able to manage a work visa. Really, she had only gotten that magazine to appease Sano.

There were a few viable positions listed, but they weren't things Mizuki could do. Professional computer programmers, caterers, chefs, and upper management in smaller stores. She couldn't even pretend to fill those positions. Sano's office seemed cold without him around. Mizuki pulled her legs up into the chair, and rested her head on her knees, thinking about Sano all the way in Europe. It would be a few more days before he came back, and she was determined to have good news when he came back. Or at the very least, the beginnings of good news.

Yuujiro nuzzled against her ankle. "You need to go out don't you Yuujiro?" He wagged his tail, and Mizuki reluctantly stood up. It wasn't quite icy outside, but the last cold snap of the season had come through. Or at least she hoped it was the last. Sano's old track jacket was hung in the closet, and Mizuki pulled it over her head. It smelled like him more than anything else in the house. She sat down on the steps, watching as Yuujiro trotted around the lawn, sniffing a few spots, and doing what was necessary. The stars were bright, Tokyo faded most of them, but tonight, a few special ones peered back from the sky at her. Yuujiro put his paw in her lap, drawing her attention to a bottle in his mouth.

Mizuki took it from him, and rolled it around in her hands. The label was faded, but a few characters were still legible. "Ayamurasaki… so that's where the rest of this bottle went." A little smile curled on her lips, remembering the visit with Nakatsu nearly three months earlier. He was right, she would be okay. Or at least that's what she had to tell herself. It was Nakatsu's way to be positive.

Yuujiro tugged Sano's pullover gently, reminding Mizuki she was still outside. Something in her heart told Mizuki that Yuujiro kept her sane when there was no one around. He occupied Sano's space when Sano was gone, and he almost guided her through the day. They went inside together, and Mizuki walked around, turning off the lights for the night. Her last stop before going upstairs was Sano's office. It glowed as if Sano was working on something late into the night, but his chair was empty, and in the spot Mizuki left it. She turned off that light as well, and pulled herself up the stairs.

Mizuki closed the mirror in the bathroom, studying her features, puffing out her cheeks, and parting her hair in different ways. Finally, after determining which way her hair looked best, and that she was indeed still Mizuki, she turned off the light, and curled up under her blankets. Yuujiro lay beside her, still awake, but barely. Sleep did not come quickly, the day ahead running through her mind, but eventually she lulled herself into slumber.

The morning light peeked through the curtains, and Yuujiro began to circle the bed. It was still an hour before Mizuki's alarm would go off, but she was sleeping lightly, and the sun was more than enough to wake her. Sullenly, she looked about. Her hair stuck out awkwardly in places. She rolled around and looked at the ceiling, Yuujiro yipped at her from the ground, and Mizuki realized a walk would be good this morning.

Sluggishly, Mizuki rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants. Yuujiro trotted ahead of her, down the stairs and towards the door. The leash hung inside the closet and Mizuki pulled Yuujiro next to her. The morning was still chilly, but the sun warmed her face. They wandered up past and the park and down by her bus stop. All in all, Yuujiro and she walked an hour, and Mizuki felt like she was heading into a day of success. Yuujiro trotted into the house, and eventually settled in Sano's office. Mizuki showered and put on her most professional looking outfit, and collected her resumes. Her goal was to be in Tokyo before 9. She had no interviews lined up, but she knew a few places that were hiring, and she had a plan to visit every one.

The subway ride into downtown Tokyo was smooth, and emerging onto the street, Mizuki looked like she fit right in with the men and women passing by on the street. She puffed out her chest slightly, and moved into the crowd. Her first stop was a company looking for an entry level market researcher. Mizuki wasn't completely sure what that meant, but that was the point of interviews.

"Excuse me… is this where I apply?" A sea of faces looked back at her, all dressed nicely, and all with stacks of paper. Mizuki smiled slightly, and a woman sitting behind a desk waved to her. This woman looked similar to the one in Mr. Zakitachi's office, and Mizuki never wanted to be under her heel.

"Fill these out, and return them with your resume. Your business card should be on top." Mizuki nodded and bowed to the woman. She turned and looked around the room. It was virtually standing only. Everyone was writing in their laps, and every seat was taken. Mizuki spun around like a top trying to locate a surface with enough space to write on and finally realized her best spot would be her hand. She stuck her folder between her legs, and took out a pen, placed the application in her hand, and began writing. Mizuki did not have the best handwriting, and the surface did little to assist her, but she eked out the application, and felt a strange sense of satisfaction from the lumpy paper she handed back to the secretary.

"Alright, everything looks in order. If you pass the screening process we will call you for an interview in 5 days." She looked back to her computer, and Mizuki was left looking at the woman's perfectly pony tailed hair.

Mizuki bounced back forth between movements and standing still. Did this mean she needed to leave? A moment after her twitching, the secretary looked back up at her. "You may leave." Mizuki sensed a slight bit of attitude, and pardoned herself quickly after a short bow.

On the street, Mizuki looked back up at the building. There sure had been a lot of people applying. Hopefully not all for the same position. There would definitely be someone more qualified than her in that bunch. And that secretary was kind of a pill. And did she want to be a market… researcher? But it was something, and that was all she could hope for.

The next stop was a mile down the street. She walked like a woman on her way to a meeting. An equal and colleague to all those passing by. Another tall building met her eyes, this time for a secretary position. It wasn't something Mizuki wanted to do. The heeled emissaries from her previous attempts to find a job did not seem very… pleasant. If she got the position, would that make her just as disagreeable? The faces looking back at her in this particular room were all female, and all a bit prettier than she. A man greeted her from behind a window, summoning her toward a stack of applications.

"If you are here to apply, fill these out." He slid a pen to her, and returned to whatever his work was. Mizuki was pleased to find one seat open, the girl sitting next to her looked friendly enough, but her skirt was taut over her thighs. That would win her the job. Mizuki was not feeling confident about this position either. She filled out the application anyway, but as the other girls came and went, Mizuki realized more and more that maybe this was a company where looks meant just a little more than any kind of qualification. Living in Japan for such a short time meant she knew nothing of the stigmas around certain companies. The man behind the glass accepted her application, and parroted the, 'If we like your "application" we'll call you for an interview."

She sighed on her way out of the building, another slightly underdressed woman walking in. No way did Mizuki really want that position. Two down, 3 to go, and it was still before noon. The lunch rush was about to begin, and Mizuki considered whether she should attempt her number 3 before she stopped for something to eat. Maybe she could network a little bit. There were a few noodle shops around.

But her next stop was around the block, and it seemed like a good idea to get one more out of the way before taking a break. The spring sun shone into her eyes as she approached another mirrored building. The interior was all marble columns and well tended plants. A circular desk sat in the center with a graceful woman studying a file. Her glasses rested across the bridge of her nose, and she looked up and over them toward Mizuki.

"Can I help you?" It was a pleasant greeting. The first one she had gotten from anyone all day. Mizuki strode toward the desk in her most graceful manner. The woman studied her, and Mizuki felt a sudden need to trip.

Much to Mizuki's joy, she actually made it all the way to the desk successfully, even with the woman examining her. "I was looking to apply for the open human resources position." Mizuki had figured this would be her best shot for a job. Psychology seemed suited to human resources.

The woman seemed suddenly put off. "Here is an application." Mizuki was surprised by her sudden change of tone, and haste in her words. "Go down the hall to the left and you'll find a table." She pointed in a vague direction, which Mizuki did find a hall way, and after walking for a few minutes did find a table. The entire building was quiet.

The application was well composed, and Mizuki felt this company was worthy of respect. She wrote in her best script, and poured over it a few times, making sure everything was perfect. When she returned back down the hall, the same woman was sitting, now reading an article in the newspaper. Perhaps she was angry because this was her lunch, and Mizuki was interrupting her.

"Thank you for the application." The woman placed it in a folder, and looked back up over her glasses. "This position is most likely going to someone who came three hours earlier. But your application will be kept on file." It was a graceful jab. Mizuki suddenly realized a complete lack of tact on her part. This should have been her first stop and she shouldn't have come during lunch. This secretary was a filter. Her application would never see the light of day.

Her heart was in a pit. Three complete failures in her attempt to find work. Simple math skills dictated that she had to be successful at the next two. Or at least that was the best she could hope for. Her stomach rumbled at her, and in desperation, she opted for her most unhealthy lunch option; a great big burger. It was comfort food. She hunted around the area and found a fast food place. It wasn't the high quality place she wanted, but a burger was a burger. She shoved it down, and sat back, making no attempt for good manners. A few people glanced at her, attempting to be subtle, but Mizuki still noticed. In particular, a man a few tables away seemed particularly put off by her behavior.

The clock ticked away, and everyone who seemed like they had a place to be drained out of the fine dining establishment. Mizuki too considered her next two stops. The burger was giving her some much needed energy. "Alright…" She whispered to herself, grabbing her resumes and taking the first few steps back toward the job market.

Another human resources position waited. This particular building had almost the same elegance as the establishment prior to lunch. Mirror windows, and marble. Inside, a face she vaguely recognized peered over a newspaper. She asked for an application, and the man tried to suppress it, but he seemed slightly appalled.

Mizuki took the application, and looked it over. It was just as well crafted as the previous, and even though she knew she could do this job. She tried to connect the dots as to why the man looked familiar, but had no success.

Mizuki flopped down beside a table in the lobby. She filled the application out meticulously just as she had with the last. When it looked perfect, she returned to the desk, and handed the application back hopefully. The man examined her closely, and then the application. He was torn between what he saw, and what he had seen. It was then that Mizuki realized where she had seen the man. It was at lunch. He had been sitting a few tables away.

"Man…" Mizuki whispered to herself. The man stuck her application into a file, and pointed toward the entrance. A sudden need to explain herself emerged, but she realized it was probably better to just follow his gesture. On the sidewalk, Mizuki stood in front of the building, and her heart sank again. The two places that would make her the happiest seemed more and more out of reach. The first because she had interrupted a lunch, and the second because she displayed horrible manners. Lunch was not a good meal today.

Mizuki was scared the day would turn out a total loss, but she had one more stop. She had over come greater obstacles than these. Stubborn Mizuki was needed in this situation. She turned on all her charm and headed down the last few streets.

The last office looked somewhat like an old Japanese business. A Shinto gate guarded the entrance, and a large wooden sign displayed a symbol that seemed slightly familiar, but she couldn't place it. Inside, everyone she saw was dressed in bright clothing, and none of it looked very professional.

Mizuki stumbled around for a few minutes before someone attracted her attention. He was a surly man, and looked more than unsavory. "You must be here to see the boss." His words threw Mizuki off, but she followed him as he wandered down a few hallways.

They reached an office deep within the building, and inside a man in a fine business suit waited. Mizuki bowed to him, and looked around. Maybe this was a good sign, making it all the way to an interview without filling out an application. Maybe they really needed to fill this position.

The man stood up and came around his desk, pulling out his business card and presenting it to Mizuki, who returned hers. Underneath the cuff of his shirt she could see a tattoo peering out. The symbol from the outside was watermarked onto his card. And suddenly Mizuki realized what all the strange things in this place meant.

This was a Yakuza establishment.

The man circled back around to his desk, and sat down in a large leather chair. There was a slight panic inside. "Oh… I'm sorry!" She tried to hide her shock from the powerful man gazing intently at her. "I think I have the wrong building!" Mizuki attempted her best lie, which had never been very good. The man raised his eyebrow toward her, and was surprised at the speed in which she disappeared from his office.

She dodged between henchmen who watched her pass by with slight confusion. It wasn't often someone just ran by them. Their boss appeared from his office, watching the young woman flee with amusement. He was sure they had no use for her, even if she had been interested in employment. If she couldn't even with stand a greeting from him, she certainly couldn't handle the position they needed to fill.

Mizuki nearly collapsed on the sidewalk a few blocks away. There was no end to the strangeness of the day for Mizuki. And everything was a complete failure. It felt like Japan was conspiring against her. She had come away with no job. And she had tried! Mizuki felt like her spirit was being crushed. Two places could have gone well if she wasn't a social idiot, two would've failed no matter how she had tried, and the Yakuza? The freaking Yakuza? Today was ending without any much needed good news.

Mizuki rode home silently on the subway. Her last resume was in her lap, and all the feeling of success from the morning seemed like a dream. She emerged from the bus at her stop, and wandered slowly toward her home. Yuujiro barked as she jingled her keys. He felt excitement, maybe she had a good day. The Mizuki that opened the door was not the Mizuki Yuujiro expected. Her face was long, and her stride had no bounce.

Yuujiro circled around her, and Mizuki kneeled down, scratching his head. "Oh Yuujiro… you would employ me right?" A bark was her answer, and she let him into the yard again. He trotted around for a few minutes, and then came charging back through the door. Mizuki closed it behind him, and wandered through the house, eventually flopping onto the couch. It was there that Mizuki spent the rest of her evening.

She knew there was no time left to find a job before Sano came back now. Even if she hunted all day, the best she could tell him was she might have an interview. Maybe she could relate the story and Sano would laugh like he used to about the ridiculous things that happened. But Mizuki knew a little better. It was always her fault in some way. But the Yakuza bit was funny. That he would have to agree with. Maybe they could make a sitcom of her life.

Yuujiro hopped onto the couch and laid his head in her lap. He was almost tired of trying to cheer her up, but resting beside her was easy. The television provided a little bit of background noise, and together they fell asleep on the couch, Mizuki's professional outfit looking a bit more unqualified.


	9. A Pot of Oden

Mizuki looked out from the windows, waiting patiently for Sano's car to arrive. His plane had arrived an hour or so earlier, but the team was having a meeting of some sort. He had called her once during his time gone, and it had been to tell her how poorly the team was doing. She had tried her best to cheer him up, but to no avail. So today, she had spent all afternoon preparing a huge pot of oden for him. The smell filled the house. That would have to be good for Sano.

She sat on the sill by their front window, watching cars pass by and the sun set. It was here she would stay until his car pulled up, and Sano emerged. There were butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know if he would return in a good mood or bad. There was only hope, and the warm smell of oden.

Another twenty minutes passed, and Mizuki got up to turn down the pot. She didn't want to burn the bottom, and she didn't know how much longer until he returned. As she turned the dial downward, she heard the door crack open, and Yuujiro scurry to the entryway. His warm voice filled the house, and Mizuki called out in return.

"Welcome home Sano!" She rushed through the hall way, and stood in front of him. He smiled wearily at her, and set down his bag on top of his running shoes. Yuujiro ran between the two of them excitedly. Unsure of what to do, Mizuki grabbed Sano's hand and pulled him toward the kitchen. He grumbled slightly, feeling the pull in his shoulder uncomfortably, but not wanting to stop it.

He could smell the oden. A lovely Japanese style dinner table was resting on floor in the center of the room. Mizuki had spent the afternoon preparing that as well. She set the pot down in the center of the table, dipping the serving spoon inside, and sat down in perfect Japanese style. Sano wasn't completely comfortable sitting down for dinner yet, but he did so anyway. She picked up his bowl and filled it with the broth and vegetables, setting it down beside a full bowl of rice. A spoon rested beside his chopsticks, and Mizuki waited for him to begin.

But there was no hunger yet, he had eaten at the meeting. For Mizuki he ate his meager portion, and felt like his stomach was going to explode. Mizuki inhaled her first portion, and then her second. She asked many questions about the competition, and mentioned very little about her week.

Over the days in Germany, Kagurazaka had injured his ankle, preventing him from jumping, their runners had barely landed in the top 10, and it wasn't even worth mentioning their javelin or shot put performance. Sano felt like he was riding a sinking ship, soaring on the prow. Mizuki encouraged him as she listened, but not to very much avail. He was beyond kind words at the moment, and Mizuki knew as much as she tried, he would stay a shade of grey.

Eventually, after silence had fallen on the table and Sano thought it best not to ask about her week, he excused himself from the table to change. Mizuki nodded and began tiding up the table, putting the oden in the refrigerator, and finishing the last of the rice. Yuujiro was nowhere to be found for leftovers, far too busy following Sano around at the moment. As such, Mizuki set everything else in the composter, and sat down on the couch.

Her knees and ankles were sore from sitting so long, but the technique Nakatsu had taught her helped immensely. The television was playing a game show about moving walls and a pit of water. Mizuki did not pay much attention to it, other than to laugh meekly when someone smashed into the barricade. Sano came back down the stairs after taking a shower and sat beside her, flipping through the channels until he found news. His hair was still wet and Mizuki messed with a bit until he dodged and glared at her.

"Sorry Sano…" She sang to him, and then laid her head in his lap. He glared down at her that moment as well, but she was unwilling to move. He returned his eyes to the television, and Mizuki stared at the wall. In truth her neck wasn't very comfortable.

They sat together for another half an hour while Sano finished the news and Mizuki felt a crick in her neck forming. Eventually, Sano made it clear he wanted to stand, and Mizuki sat up. A commercial drew her attention for a second. As she gazed at the television Sano rolled his eyes and disappeared upstairs. It ended and Mizuki glanced around, finding herself alone.

A hint of victory swept over her. A whole evening had passed since Sano returned without an argument, and she had successfully avoided the conversation about the past few days. She did a small dance, and skipped her way up the stairs. Sano had already climbed into bed. Yuujiro lay at the foot, knowing the two that occupied the bed were together again.

She changed for bed herself, and crawled in beside Sano. He was reading the last few pages of a book, and barely noticed the shift in weight. Mizuki was quiet, deciding it best to fall asleep. She leaned over to give him a kiss, and curled up underneath the blanket. Sano glanced over at her. Something in him wanted to hold a conversation, but he let it pass by. Eventually he rolled over and closed his eyes.

They lay awake together, backs turned, and mouths closed. Every so often Mizuki would shift slightly, open her mouth, and then swiftly close it, even if she wanted to say something, the words didn't come. And so they lay together silently, until both were asleep.

It was around 10 when Mizuki woke up. Sano's side of the bed was neatly made, and Yuujiro was nowhere in sight. She sat up and looked around blearily. The curtains were open, but very little sun was shining through. A spring storm was coming through. The rain smelled fresh, and Mizuki smiled as she rolled out of bed. The bathroom still had steam on the mirror, and Sano's towel was wet. She doodled on the mirror and brushed her teeth, smiling in the clearing she had made.

Coming down the stairs, Mizuki glanced around, looking for a shadow of Sano. But neither he, nor Yuujiro were anywhere to be found. She walked into the kitchen and started their rice cooker. On the refrigerator was a box of cereal, which she poured into a bowl. An easy breakfast. She grazed on the cereal and a moment later Sano emerged from the outside, Yuujiro just behind. His hair was still wet and smoothed back; a familiar look which made Mizuki smile again.

The face he returned was without expression. Steadily he walked into the kitchen a small white envelope in hand. In one smooth movement he set the envelope in front of her, and tapped it lightly. The seal was not broken, but Mizuki knew what it was. The decorative stamp beside the address was from the last place she had stopped a few days earlier. They had her resume and business card, of course they'd send her something. Of all the places, only them. "Mizuki… why are you receiving a letter from the Inagawa-kai?" His voice was hollow and he sat stiffly across from her.

Mizuki grinned sheepishly, swallowing her bite of cereal. "Well, it's kind of a funny story actually…" Sano didn't look like he would be amused in the slightest. "So a few days ago, I went to find a job. I spent all day filling out applications and giving places my resume. But nothing seemed to be going very well. I got to my last destination, and there was a wooden sign outside with that symbol on it. I just thought it was a really old company. Every inside was wearing really bright colors and they were all really brash. I didn't know what to make of it. This big guy took me for an interview with the manager. Then I saw the tattoo under 'the bosses' shirt I realized what it was. But I'd already given them my card and resume. I ran out of their office in like two seconds flat." She paused more than a few times during her explanation, trying to find the best words.

Sano had not moved an inch since she began speaking. His eyes were the same flat expression. Slowly, they closed and opened again, letting his mind process her story. A few times he tried to open his mouth to speak, but no words would come. He stood up and paced around, before leaving the room entirely. Mizuki watched his every movement and felt a familiar sinking feeling.

She slid her finger inside the envelope and pulled out a hand written letter from the man she had briefly met. Glancing over the rough hand writing, Mizuki gathered that they wanted to hire her based on her resume. She was a blank slate to be molded as necessary, and they could provide her with residence paper work. She somehow doubted it would be 'legal.'

Sano shook his head as he paced around his office. On one hand, she was trying to find a job; on the other, she had given all her information to the Yakuza. The latter of the two seemed a hell of a lot more important. Mizuki peered into the room. Sano immediately noticed her, but pretend not to. He didn't have the patience to deal with this problem, and he knew if she pushed it, there would be yelling. Eventually Mizuki stepped into the room, and leaned against the wall.

"Okay, Ashiya. I need to make myself clear. I am going out for the day. We are not going to talk about this today, tomorrow, or the day after. It may be a week before I talk to you about this. Do not mention it; do not tell me about any job offers." Sano did not look at her once during his small speech. Mizuki kept her mouth shut, and looked at the floor. She wanted to defend herself, but the truth was, she didn't know what to say, and she didn't want to tempt Sano any further into anger. He started towards the door, pausing briefly to look at her. "You know Mizuki, I love you, but when did you become so…?" He didn't finish the sentence.

Mizuki felt the air drain out of her lungs. Her eyes blurred, but she didn't cry. There were a hundred things she could plug in as the last word. Why did Sano have to make her feel like such an idiot? She knew how stupid her decisions had been. Her own guilt should be enough. He disappeared, and the door closed in the distance. Mizuki slid down the wall and buried her head in her arms.


	10. Butterflies

Silence. The television was on mute, and Mizuki sat, staring at her phone with apprehension. It had been a week since the applications went out, and today would be the last day anyone would call. She had checked at least three times to make sure the phone wasn't on vibrate, or silent, or off. Every so often, the TV sounded like her ringer, and it got her excited, so now the television couldn't produce sound.

She had worked herself into a situation where she wanted the phone to ring so badly, but doubted so much that it would happen. So much so that when it did, she was almost in shock. It rang for a minute before she lunged forward. "Hello, this is Ashiya Mizuki." It was her best business voice.

"Well that sounds like a professional Mizuki." A comforting, and at that moment, completely unwanted voice, responded. "Do you answer all calls like that now?" Nakatsu needled her slightly, and despite the slight blow to her confidence, Mizuki laughed.

"No… just a bit of hope." Her voice didn't carry the bright tones it normally did, and Nakatsu was immediately concerned.

"Is everything okay?" He sat up, empty hotel room around him, and feeling fairly lonely at that moment.

Sitting quietly before answering, Mizuki did her best to cheer up. "Yeah, just waiting to hear from some jobs." She sat back, resting the phone on her shoulder. "It was about a week ago when I put in a few applications, and I was just hoping to get a call today."

Nakatsu relaxed a little bit. At least it wasn't something dire. "Well that's good, but I'm guessing nothing has happened yet?" There was a small chuckle from Mizuki.

"Yeah… there was something." The yakuza letter was still sitting in her drawer. But she didn't want to explain on the phone. Sano and she still hadn't really worked out that problem.

He picked up her reluctance. Boredom had driven him to call her in the first place, and since Nakatsu detected the need for a bit of joy, he considered a visit. "Well, Mizuki, I'm in Yokohama, and it sounds like you need some entertainment. So, whether or not you want it, I'm on my way." He promptly closed his phone, and bolted out of his bed. In less than five minutes he was out the door.

Mizuki held the phone to her ear for a second or two more before closing it. Nakatsu was coming, and since it was him, there wasn't much chance for deterrence. She scratched her head, and looked at the muted TV. Yes, this was good. Seeing Nakatsu was good. Sano would be home in a few hours, and maybe it would be good to see an old friend.

On the train ride, Nakatsu went through ideas to entertain Mizuki. There were butterflies, but there were always butterflies when he thought about her. She still hadn't resorted to calling him when things were bad, but at least he would still try to cheer her up as many times as he could. His eyes were focused out the window, cityscape going by, into Tokyo, and nearer to Mizuki.

The noodle house had been calling his name. They hadn't seen him since that day, mostly because Osaka was so far from Tokyo. He was still living fairly cheaply, but joining the national team had created a surplus income he had no idea what to do with. If he wanted to, he could probably fly to Tokyo everyday for noodles. But he spent most of his time traveling; noodle quality wasn't enough to get him to Tokyo. Mizuki would have been though. Nakatsu thought about it for a minute. He would gladly make the 3 hour trip everyday for her.

Still sitting on the couch, Mizuki considered what she was wearing, and what Nakatsu might surprise her with. It looked like she hadn't showered in a few days, so she picked herself up off the couch and cleaned up a bit. Ever since her Ohsaka Gakuen experience, she hadn't been prone to make up, but she put a bit around her eyes. With the energy she had left, she put something nicer but still comfortable on. After she deemed herself prepared for company, she returned downstairs.

Her stomach was feeling a bit unusual, so she drank a glass of water and ate a small bowl of rice hoping to settle it. The TV was no longer on mute, and the news droned in the background as she leaned against the counter, watching the clock. The rice had done nothing for her stomach. Instead it seemed to be getting the worse by the minute.

The feeling exploded when there was a knock at the door. She rushed to her entryway to answer, expecting Nakatsu's smiling face. Instead, a neighbor was dropping by to ask about her job hunt. Mizuki got the feeling that the neighborhood liked to gossip about Sano and herself. She cordially answered the questions, and was relieved that her stomach settled. When the woman returned to her house, Mizuki rested against the door, trying to figure out why her stomach was behaving so strangely.

When Nakatsu did knock on the door, she flew forward, tripping over shoes, and nearly landing on the first step with her face. Instead she just made enough crashing sounds that Nakatsu burst through the door, scared Mizuki was being attacked. A sheepish grin was exchanged between the two, Nakatsu bowing about the intrusion, and Mizuki straightening her shirt so that her side wasn't exposed.

Nakatsu's butterflies were on fire, but he forced them down. "Glad you're okay… thought… something… was…" He couldn't really finish his sentence. He really had no idea what he thought might have been happening. Mizuki laughed and nodded.

"Don't worry Nakatsu. At least I know you'll barge in to help me. I guess that's a good thing." They stood awkwardly in the entrance for a minute, Mizuki trying to straighten the damage, and Nakatsu doing his best to help. Eventually Nakatsu resorted to just watching Mizuki, trying not be awkward. "So what's up for today?" She returned the last item to its home, and turned toward him.

Nakatsu pretended he had been staring at the house slippers, and collected his thoughts. "Well… are you hungry? Or will you be hungry in an hour?" Since it was going to take another hour of travel to get to the noodle shop, Nakatsu wanted Mizuki to be prepared.

Though her stomach was feeling strange again, she nodded. She didn't feel sick, so food could only help. "It sounds like you have a plan." She hoped it wasn't Okonomiyaki. She loved pancake pizza, but that was almost always what they got.

"Well, there's a noodle place near a hotel I stayed in a few months ago. You know that night I showed up here?" Mizuki nodded and laughed a bit, picturing Nakatsu and Sano falling. "I don't even remember most of that night, but I do remember the noodles were crazy good. I thought we could go there, share a bottle of sake so I don't get drunk, and you can be home before 7." Mizuki put on her jacket, and signaled to lead the way. Too bad for Sano.

Nakatsu told her the busses and subways necessary to get to their destination, and Mizuki made a mental map. It wouldn't be long before the bus they needed arrived. "We should hurry to the bus stop, or else it'll be a half hour of us sitting there waiting." Nakatsu nodded and they jogged out of the house, down the steps, and up the street. They reached their stop on the corner of a street a block away, and Nakatsu flopped down on the curb, sitting patiently in the descending sun.

A familiar bus number rumbled toward them, and Mizuki stood so they were obvious. Nakatsu furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember why that number would be familiar. He shrugged it off for being a teammate's number, and together they stepped onto the bus. It took less than a second for the bus driver to pounce on him, shrieking about a bus napping.

Mizuki was knocked off balance as the bus driver leaped forward, and she fell hard onto her back, the bus driver trying to throw Nakatsu off the bus. The rest of the people on the bus all looked in shock. "Stop! Please don't throw me!" Nakatsu begged with woman who was holding him by his jeans and jacket, preparing a heave ho. Mizuki was scrambling back up, trying to calm the bus driver in a near panic.

All the voices calmed, and even though Nakatsu was still being held up by his clothes, the bus driver no longer seemed focused on throwing him. "You! I swore to never let you back on my bus, why are you here?" Her voice sounded like a loud speaker, and Nakatsu visibly winced.

"I'm sorry! I'm not sure what my friend has done, but please let us ride the bus, we just want to get to the subway station." Mizuki bowed profusely, trying to appease the woman.

Nakatsu looked behind him toward the driver, and toward Mizuki. He really had no idea as to how to explain himself in this particular instance. He remember a little bit of what happened and why he ended up skidding down the street before he stumbled to Mizuki's house, but not enough to explain much. "I'm sorry. I was very drunk that night Ms. Bus driver lady. I didn't mean to scare you, which I must have."

The driver just about threw him again when Nakatsu started speaking, but Mizuki rushed forward and tried to block the way. "Please! We just want to go to the subway station, and if he does anything I promise you can throw us both out. Please." She bowed again, and the bus driver looked over Nakatsu and her.

Reluctantly, she put Nakatsu back on his feet, and looked the two of them over on more time. "Do anything, and I'll more than throw you off the bus." They both nodded, and scurried toward the back of the bus where the bus driver might look at them less. Nakatsu felt horridly awkward, and Mizuki was extremely curious.

To avoid any attention, they kept quiet all the way to the stop for the station, and every three seconds the bus driver glanced in their direction. Nakatsu avoided the woman's eyes, and Mizuki kept trying to do the same. They hopped off the back exit, and all on the bus side a breath of relief. The deviants were gone, and Nakatsu and Mizuki disappeared down the stairs to their subway.

When they took their seats, Mizuki could no longer contain her curiosity. "So why did that woman so vehemently want you off the bus?" She looked at him, chuckling about the earlier experience, even if her back hurt a bit.

Nakatsu rubbed his forehead, and tried to piece together some things from the night. "Well… as you might have guessed, that was my crazy drunk night. I don't remember very well, but it was late, and that driver didn't trust me the second I stepped on the bus. I got really excited when I saw your house, so I think I rushed to the front of the bus. I wanted her to stop right in front of it. She threw me off the bus for trying to jack it I think." He examined his jacket, realizing it was the same one from that night. "She damaged the jacket when I skidded on the road."

Mizuki's mirth was immense. "That's great Nakatsu. I'm sorry you got thrown out of a bus though. That night was funny though. Do you remember actually coming into our place?"

He dug through his memories, but nothing was popping up after throwing rocks toward the windows. "I only remember rocks. And something about you and Izumi, and then there's a lot of nothing."

Before blurting everything out, Mizuki chose her words carefully. "Well… when we came down to let you in, you fell. And so did Sano. And you landed on him. And there were lips involved." Nakatsu turned a shade of red, and then a shade of white. She conveniently left out the first part of that story.

"Are you serious?" But then again, Sano kissed a great number of men, women, children, and animals, while drunk. "Guess this is what we call karma?" They laughed together, and slowly silence fell between. It was a comfortable silence, watching lights go by, and approaching their station.

About ten minutes later, they arrived, and Nakatsu led the way to the noodle house. They entered, and a joyous explosion came from behind the line. Atsuma came rushing out, bowing deeply to Nakatsu, and then doing to same to Mizuki. "Nakatsu! We were hoping to see you again. Akisei! Bring the menu!" He showed them to a table, and Akisei came barreling to the table. Atsuma reappeared with a large bottle of sake, and then ran back behind the line, resuming his noodle duties.

"Oh my goodness, Nakatsu! It's so wonderful to see you again." She pointed to the menu, and just as they had promised, his noodle concoction had been added. "Can we get out anything else right now, or should I just let you have time with the menu?" The waitress had barely noticed Mizuki, who was almost in shock after all the attention. When Akisei turned to check another table, the dot connected. A girl, at Nakatsu's table. Jealousy!

Mizuki tried to gain her composure. "Wait a second. You have a noodle bowl named after you here?"

Laughing, Nakatsu nodded. "I was still sober when I ordered. It was a masterpiece here. It really helped in getting me drunk though." He was already hungry.

"That's what I'm getting then. Nakatsu noodles!" She didn't even look at the rest of the menu. "Not everyday a friend has food named after him." Nakatsu was thinking the same order. And he poured a cup of sake for her.

Akisei returned a minute later, inquiring as to their order. "Two Nakatsu noodles please!" Mizuki gave her a giant smile to which Akisei glared. Why did she get to eat with Nakatsu. Jotting down the order, she disappeared again, hoping that the girl was just a friend.

"Weird. She was really friendly when I came. She actually slid along the floor the same way I had when I got my goal." That was a really fond memory all around. His goal, winning the game, and having someone recognize him for it. "I wonder if she's an FC Tokyo or Verdy fan."

"Whoa, too deep into soccer town there, Nakatsu." She knew enough, but Mizuki didn't want to get into a long talk about soccer. She filled his sake glass. "But I think she's interested in you. Should've seen the look when she noticed I was here." Nakatsu dodged Mizuki's eyes, not wanting to think about the waitress and a meaningless crush.

"No… she's just a fan." He avoided the conversation, redirecting their attention to the sake, and giving a quick salute and toast. Together they drank the first glass, and Nakatsu refilled Mizuki's as soon as she emptied it. Mizuki returned the favor. "Besides, now that you're looking a little bit more cheerful, talk to me about the job search."

It took a quick few cups of sake, but Mizuki finally opened up about recent events. "Well… this is important cause I've already used up a tourist visa, and I'm on my second. If I don't find a job… well… you know. So I put in five applications a week ago, and it's like the Japanese job market is conspiring against me. The first place I applied for must have had 50 applicants just in the time I was there. Something about market research and I don't know anything about that. The next was a secretary position which was only for a super attractive woman." In his head, Nakatsu interjected that she was a super attractive woman. "Plus short skirts and that sort of thing. I didn't dress like I wanted the position, so that job was out."

They drank another glass of sake together before Mizuki continued. "Numbers 3 and 4 were the ones I was really interested in. At number 3, I made the secretary angry by interrupting her lunch, and she said someone had already come in who was likely to be picked for the position. I get the feeling it was a losing battle. But that place was really nice, and my degree is perfect for human resources I think." It was clear Mizuki was frustrated about that particular attempt. It sounded to Nakatsu like a case of favoritism. It made him want to hunt that secretary. "Number 4 I went to after lunch. I was down hearted, and behaving like an American, which put off a few tables around me. One of those tables was a man I had to talk to for my next job application. He looked interested, but my manners were enough to drive them away I guess. I really wanted that one too, almost perfect like the previous one."

The waitress came back with a tray, and both of their noodle bowls. Mizuki was relieved for the break. At least she could tell the funny story last. Before wishing them a good meal, Akisei checked their sake, and disappeared again, keeping her eyes on Nakatsu. "Holy crap Nakatsu, this is delicious." The noodles started to vanish about as fast as Akisei had.

"I know, this place is really good. But I think small noodle houses generally are." His noodles went at about the same speed, sipping the sake, and filling Mizuki's cup periodically. "But I think you have one more story to tell me."

"Yeah… This one is funny in a scary way." She finished another glass and a few more bites of noodles before setting her chop sticks down to tell the story. "So, after all four interviews, I was kinda frustrated, and not entirely paying attention." She demonstrated being slightly air headed before continuing. "So there's a wooden sign outside, and I don't understand what it means, but go in anyway. Everyone inside was really brash, and they were all in bright colors which was even weirder." Again, she demonstrated their behavior. "So one comes up to me and asks what I want, I mention something about a job, and he's like 'Oh! I'll take you to the boss!' and then I'm excited because they must really need someone if I'm already to an interview." Nakatsu was following her thread, and connecting dots faster than Mizuki had apparently. A boss was never good. "So I meet the boss, and he's got tattoos, some of which I can see under his cuff. And suddenly it hits me. This is a Yakuza business. I had already given them my papers, but I nearly teleported out I was in such a hurry."

Nakatsu had a huge smile on his face. That was reassuring to Mizuki, who had always thought the story was funny on some level. "The day after Sano got home, I got a letter from the boss, and they were still interested in me. No way I can be a Yakuza employee, but at least SOMEONE would like me to work for them." She finished her noodles.

"That's awesome Mizuki. You met a Yakuza boss, survived it, and you're not a member of their clan. That's like, the best story." He enjoyed a few more bits of noodle. "You don't think they're waiting for a response to you?"

Mizuki rested her hand on her chin, and thought about it for a second. "I don't know, but they aren't getting one." The sake was definitely making her feel better. She didn't like resorting to alcohol, but it was only once in awhile. "Either way, I figure it'll be okay. Nothing else I can really do."

Nakatsu flexed his bicep. "And if they do something, you have strong men to protect you. Sano can distract them by jumping over their heads, and then I'll run up and kick them." He vaguely demonstrated in the chair.

That made Mizuki laugh, and at long last, she realized exactly how ridiculous the story was. "I wish everyone had the same reaction as you." She rested her chin on her hand again. "But no matter how good the story is, it doesn't change the fact that I don't have a job, and I don't want to get deported."

Nakatsu thought for a few minutes. It seemed like it would be easy for Mizuki to find a job, she was industrious, and good with others, those were good qualities. "Hey… Mizuki… what about a job teaching?" He always heard about American students coming to Japan to teach for a semester. "You are a native born English speaker… and Japanese speaker… which could only help you. Maybe you can find a job doing that?"

It hit Mizuki like a ton of bricks. Why hadn't she ever thought of that? She could teach English to Japanese students. She could probably do it better that most of the teachers. "Oh my god Nakatsu. Thank you." She leaped up and threw her arms around him. It was timing that made Akisei appear right then to clear their bowls. She looked very crest fallen. "I don't know why I didn't think of that! I bet I can find something in no time!" Nakatsu was beet red, but his skin tone hid it. Mizuki returned to her chair, a sudden sense of purpose returning to her job search.

"I'm glad you've got some hope now Mizuki." He looked at his glass of sake. "It doesn't do to have you down." They finished the last of the sake together, and sat in silence again. The sun was peering through the windows, beginning the last of its descent. "But… I bet you need to be getting home." The sky was changing colors, and she needed to be home for Sano, as much as that made Nakatsu want to curl up in a ball.

"Oh man… you're right." Mizuki glanced at a clock and realized how long it would take to get home. At least night was safer in Tokyo than it was in California. She tried to pass him some yen, to which Nakatsu refused.

"No Mizuki. You can pay for dinner when you've gotten your job as a teacher." He smiled at her, and pulled money out for their meal and sake. "Besides, I owe this place to pay for at least one meal." Mizuki looked at him with questioning eyes. "That's another story Mizuki. I'll explain the next time we see each other."

Mizuki nodded, and felt a sudden awkward air. "Are you going to come with me to the station?" She got the feeling he didn't want to go all the way back to her place. Nakatsu nodded to her.

"Can't let you walk through Tokyo alone." Mizuki waited at the entrance while Nakatsu said goodbye to Atsuma and Akisei. He felt good about having money for the restaurant instead of having to cook them dinner. As a pair they walked to the station, talking lightly about the coming weeks. The walk went much too quickly for Nakatsu, but they came to the subway platform, and Mizuki saw her train.

Mizuki realized she didn't know how to say goodbye to Nakatsu. The queasy feeling in her stomach had returned. They stood on the platform for a minute, but the train didn't afford Mizuki's indecision. She gave him a quick and very tight hug before hoping on, the doors closing. Nakatsu smiled, waving at her as the subway started to move, his eyes filled with something she didn't quite recognize. It was as he disappeared from view that Mizuki suddenly realized what the feeling had been; butterflies.


	11. Can't Always be Bad

It had been two days since the idea of being a teacher had been introduced to Mizuki. The day after, she had gone out to look at high schools for teaching positions. The following morning, Mizuki had gone to a high school, and been hired for their English teacher. The week before, their teacher had been deported back to the US for violations of Japanese law. Mizuki had never been so ecstatic.

She had burst into a joyous shout the moment after she exited the building. A few students had peered out of the windows above, surprised by the exclamation. She had shouted up to them that she would be their new English teacher. All of the faces promptly disappeared, not wanting to encourage the strange American woman who looked Japanese. Mizuki danced all the way to the train station. The school had guaranteed her work visa, and she was officially a legal resident of Japan, and Izumi would finally be happy that she had a job.

There was nothing that could be bad about this situation. Her joy was enormous. A few times she had almost burst into dance on the train. She expected a surprise balloon when she got home. Of course, she knew Sano didn't know yet, but even if he did, a surprise balloon wouldn't be there. She thought about what he might do, and Mizuki was drawing a blank. He would be visibly happy, but she wouldn't get a dinner, or a surprise balloon, or much of a celebration. It wasn't Sano's style.

But it was her style. She wanted to celebrate her new job, so she decided right then that they would do something, even if it was all orchestrated by her. The people around her on the train had given her a few extra inches of space. Her convulsions of joy had made a lot of people feel awkward. Extra space was a miracle, since it was currently rush hour, and no one had much room. Mizuki made a note to herself for the future, especially since she would be riding this train a lot now.

Because she was employed. That's right, Mizuki had a job. She danced around again as she realized it once more. She said the sentence in English, in Japanese, and then spelled out each world in her head. Even though it didn't seem possible, her train neighbors scooted farther away.

They arrived at her stop and Mizuki forced her way through to the door. She skipped all the way to the bus stop, danced on the bus, and skipped all the way to her front door. Suddenly, she had the idea of putting Sano through a bit of torture. He could take it. Mizuki wiped the smile off her face, and trudged inside the house.

"Welcome home Mizuki, how did the interview go?" Sano called from his study. Mizuki walked down the hallway.

Meekly she responded. "I'm home…" He turned around in his chair and looked at her, figuring from her glum face that it hadn't gone well. Mizuki was pleased to see him falling into her trap. He stayed silent waiting for some sort of answer to his question. Mizuki suddenly reconsidered her practical joke. It was dangerous to make a joke like that at the moment, especially with the weeks of fighting. "I got the job!" She showed him a huge smile.

Sano smiled back. The joke had still upset him a bit. "Well that's good. I'm glad you've found something."

"We should go out and celebrate Izumi!" Sano had already turned halfway around. He stopped, and looked over at her, trying to consider. In truth, he knew that her getting a job was a very good thing. Mizuki looked at him hopefully.

"Yes. I think we can go celebrate. I actually have some good news too." Mizuki trotted over and sat down on his lap. Sano leaned against her. "Well, you know how Kagurazaka hurt his ankle at the last competition?" Mizuki nodded. "Nike needs a new spokesman until he gets better, and they want it to be me." Mizuki almost bounced off his lap, clapping with a great sense of victory for Sano. "If they like me, I might just become permanent, even after Kagurazaka's ankle is healed."

That news had made Sano's week. He didn't like that his friend was injured, but he was ecstatic that Nike had finally offered him an endorsement. Even temporary was better than nothing from his favorite company.

They sat together for a few minutes, Sano making notes for the contract, and Mizuki thinking about her new job, and all the things she would have to do. Before he finished, she hopped up, having a sudden need to write every idea she had down. The office had explained she would be home room for a good class of juniors in the high school, and English teacher for the seniors and half the juniors. She needed a book list, and lesson plans for the next month, all within the next few days.

That was a crap load of work. With great gusto she jogged into the living room, sat down with a notebook and started working feverishly at her task. She wanted her students to read The Catcher in the Rye, and Animal Farm. Perhaps the Chronicles of Narnia, a childhood favorite. She went through all of her ideas, and after a half hour, she had a working plan for the next month. Of course she knew everything would depend on her students.

The previous teacher had nursed them a bit, allowing them to speak in Japanese during class, and Mizuki would not allow that. It was hard enough for students to learn a second language, but practice was the best medicine. If Mizuki had anything to do with it, the graduating class from her high school would speak nearly fluent when they left for college.

Sano emerged from his office, getting hungry for the dinner Mizuki had mentioned. He sat down next to her on the couch and glanced over her shoulder. "Boy, rigorous schedule there."

"Yeah. The teacher before me was too relaxed. I want them to speak English when they graduate." She put down the notebook and pen. "Where can we go to dinner?"

Sano flipped through a phone book, looking around for a restaurant suitable for their needs. "What about Kura?" He looked over their ad, lots of vegetables and good meats for grilling. He could go for some grilling.

Mizuki looked over the ad as well. She liked the idea of grilling as well, and the restaurant looked fairly nice. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'll call and make reservations for us. Is 7 okay?" Sano nodded and jogged upstairs. "Lets go all dressed up!" Mizuki called up the stairs after Sano. She heard a favorable response, and she looked at the clock. Another two hours, one of which would be spent traveling.

"Hello, this is Kura." A sharp female voice answered the phone.

"Yes, I would like to make reservations for 7:00." The sound of the woman typing came over the telephone,

"Your name? Number of guests? And any special requests?" Every question Mizuki answered, briefly thinking about what a special request could be. Even so, she had none, so it was a moot point. "Anything else Ms. Sano?" Mizuki got a huge smile. She wasn't often referred to as Ms. Sano, but it made her extremely happy. It was going to be an incredibly happy night.

"No, that'll be all. Thank you!" They hung up, and Mizuki sat back on the couch.

She quickly finished off the paragraph of ideas she had been working on, and hopped up the stairs after Sano. He was already looking fairly charming; not quite suit and tails, but a silk tie, nice pants, and a button up shirt. A dress appeared in Mizuki's mind, a dress she hadn't worn for years. It was stuffed away in a box in their storage area, so she jumped down the stairs and started rummaging through her clothing boxes. It took her ten minutes, and nearly destroying the room, in order to find it. When her parents visited while she was in Ohsaka, she had bought this dress so they didn't know exactly how complicated her decision to go to the school was. It brought back fond memories, and she was sure Sano would like it.

After trying to put everything back in its appropriate place, Mizuki trotted back up the stairs and back into her bedroom. She stopped in her tracks when she saw exactly how good Sano looked in his get up. When her dress was on, she hoped Sano would do the same. In the bathroom she put on a bit of makeup, fixed her hair, and pulled the dress over her head. It fit just as well as it had 5 years ago, and she moved with a little extra bounce in her step.

Sano didn't quite stop in his tracks, but he did give her a smile that she hadn't seen since they moved. She put on a pair of inch heels, and pulled a light jacket onto her shoulders. "You ready Mizuki?" He asked from the hallway, scratching Yuujiro's head.

"In a minute or two more!" She primped a little bit more.

Sano returned to the first floor, Yuujiro leading him toward the door. "I'm going to take Yuujiro out for a minute." He shouted back up the staircase. Before stepping outside Sano grabbed a sport coat, Yuujiro already occupied with his normal circuit around the yard. Sano stood at the top of the porch steps, watching and waiting for Mizuki. Before Yuujiro was finished, Mizuki appeared beside him. She smiled, and Yuujiro came back up the steps.

Sano headed down towards the car, warming it up a bit before Mizuki got in. Yuujiro scurried back into the house, and Mizuki walked him to his food bowl, giving him a little extra tonight. She figured everyone deserved a little extra tonight. Locking the door behind her, Mizuki hopped into the car. Inside the seats were warm, and Sano was playing an old CD he had always liked. Mizuki was neutral on it, but even it seemed better tonight.

Both of their stomachs were fairly empty, and the sound of rumbling began to overpower the music. Mizuki had to remember not to act like she had never eaten before. It used to make him laugh when she inhaled food, but it was less amusing now, and since this was a nice restaurant, she wanted to be polite.

It didn't feel like an hour had gone by when they arrived at Kura. A valet approached the car, opening the door for the lady, and another circling around to the driver side. "Would you like to park valet, sir?" There was a faint recognition in the boy's eyes. Sano nodded, and left the keys in the ignition, taking a claim check from the valet.

Mizuki waited by the valet box for Sano, and when he approached she stretched out her hand for his. They walked into the restaurant hand in hand. A warm smell of beef and charcoal filled the air. Wood tones and a very modern style drew the eye around the restaurant, and Mizuki saw the perfect table.

"Good evening!" The same sharp female voice drew her attention to the host desk. Mizuki smiled and approached with Sano. "May I have a name?"

"Sano. We're a little early, I hope that's okay." The woman smiled, and nodded, clicking on her computer and glancing over the restaurant.

The same vague recognition appeared on the woman's face, but just as it had with the valet, it passed. "May I have both of your first names?" Mizuki and Sano both answered, and the woman typed a bit more before the manager appeared to seat them.

"My goodness!" The man looked Sano over once, and immediately bowed to him. "Good evening Sano! I certainly wouldn't expect an athlete of your caliber to join us tonight!" Either the vague recognition had been very well feigned, or the man knew every sportsman by sight. "Please follow me! We have a special room set aside for these occasions."

Sano looked slightly uncomfortable. Mizuki however, looked thrilled. The manager took them down a small hallway, a few tables barely visible through passages in the wall. He stopped in front of one, and guided them in. A few stairs led onto a platform with a low table. The grill was built in, a lovely warmth already emanating. They removed their shoes and took seats on opposite sides.

"Enjoy your evening, and Hanayashiki will be with you in a few minutes." The two nodded, glancing around the room. Mizuki held her hands over their grill, feeling the coals warm her skin. They hadn't received menus, but a drink menu rested on the floor beside them.

"What would Sano like?" She started flipping through the pages. "You seem like a martini guy. Maybe shaken not stirred." Sano smiled at her. He had never actually had a martini before. "I think we should get martinis!" It had been months since their last date, and Mizuki was extremely excited.

"Yeah… we can do that." Sano looked over the menu, although he was inclined to take Mizuki's advice. "Gin or vodka?"

She stuck her tongue out. "Ugh… gin if you like pine needles." He laughed at her expression. "I'm gonna get one of those persimmon ones." He nodded and returned the drink menu to the floor. Mizuki's eyes were suddenly wide, and her jaw was open just a bit. His back was to the entrance, so the switch in expression on Mizuki's face was unexplained until a woman with long brown hair, and very pretty eyes sat down beside them, holding a notepad and pen.

She dropped both when she realized who the two people within this room were. "Sano!" Stars appeared in her eyes, and little hearts floated away from her head. "It has been so long!" She looked like a princess seeing her knight in shining armor. Mizuki stifled a laugh, and again Sano looked just a little awkward.

"Hello Hibari…" To see this one as a waitress was a total surprise, and yet not. After all, it had taken her 7 years to graduate. "How are you? I'm sure you remember Mizuki."

The girl suddenly looked very crestfallen. Hibari's skill had never been hiding her emotions. "Of course I do… I'm doing alright. This is just a side job after all; I have been making appearances in soap operas. My acting career is definitely taking off. Maybe you've seen a few of them Ashiya?" Awkwardly, Mizuki shook her head. She had never watched soaps. "That's alright, only a matter of time before you see me in movies."

The manager walked by, and Hibari suddenly remembered she needed to do her job. Begrudgingly, she took their drink order and handed them two menus. "Go ahead and look at those; I'll be back with your martinis." She slipped down the stairs and into her shoes. How could she, Hanayashiki Hibari, be subject to serving her love, and his… friend. And though her pride was a terrible stumbling block, she sucked it up. She needed this job, even if she wouldn't say that to any man, animal, or plant.

"Whoa…" Mizuki watched as the last strand of Hibari's pride and joy disappeared. "Never thought I would see her again. Or as a waitress." Sano nodded, feeling a twinge of sympathy for what was supposed to be Mizuki's competition. Pushing away those particular thoughts, Mizuki dove headlong into the menu.

There were so many options. Beef, pork, vegetables, rice dishes and of course, fish were all represented in options ranging from a spread for 15 people to a sample of each for two. Mizuki liked the option for two. That way, she and Sano could enjoy everything together. "What about the two person dinner Sano?" Mizuki asked, pointing toward it on his menu.

His eyes trailed over the description. "You are full of good suggestions tonight Mizuki." She smiled brightly again, and they set the menus down. He too held his hands over the grill, and Hibari appeared again, carrying one red-orange martini with a persimmon slice hanging from the rim, and one crystal clear martini with three blue cheese stuffed olives resting on a toothpick inside.

"Fancy choice Sano. Very classic." The compliments gushed forward like a flood. "Are the two of you ready to order?" Mizuki nodded and Sano pointed on the menu to their choice. "Yet again, excellent taste!" The hearts were still floating up, but here came the part Hibari hated the most. Without saying anything, she pulled out a few more charcoals, pulled the grate up, and dropped them in with a wooden log. There was ash all over her hands, and a bit on her ear lobe.

It suddenly struck Mizuki how much sympathy she had for Hibari. She was now a Cinderella. The girl smiled at the two, and glided down the platform and into the hall. Neither spoke about her and their history. Sano did not feel much different from Mizuki, and thinking about it was only an exercise in futility. Hibari's pride was a vain and painful thing, but she chose to keep it. Both Sano and Mizuki wanted to be focus on their success.

They held their glasses up. "Cheers!" And together they took long sips. The persimmon flavor danced on Mizuki's tongue, and Sano realized it was going to take a bit to get used to the martini idea. It was pure alcohol, and he could barely breathe. Involuntarily his tongue came out of his mouth, making a disgusted face. Mizuki mimicked the face and laughed.

He responded with a light glare, but switched to smile, laughing a little himself. "You know, I don't think I'm ready for martinis." Mizuki offered him a taste of hers, which he agreed to. Far better. It might have been pure alcohol, but at least it didn't taste like it. He returned it to her, and made a mental note to get a glass of water when Hibari returned.

"So when did you find out about your endorsement?" Mizuki rested on the marble top of the table wrapped around the grill. It was still a little cold despite the fire.

"It was earlier today, just after you left for lunch and the interview. I was sitting at the desk and my phone rang. It was the national coach, and I figured it had something to do with the competition this week." Sano managed another sip of the martini, trying to adjust a little to the taste. "But instead the coach told me Nike had been trying to get a hold of me. Not having an agent makes that a little more difficult. He told me to call their corporate office."

That had been an interesting phone call. Just like with every corporate office, there was an answering system, and it took him ten minutes to even get the department the coach had said to contact. Then there was another run around to prove who he was. All in all, Sano had seriously considered hanging up four times. He related the story to Mizuki, making her laugh a few times in ways only he could.

"But when I finally got where I needed to be, the man dropped the bomb the first sentence. 'Sano Izumi! We want you to be a spokesperson!'" Sano pretended to be a corporate executive twirling around in his office chair. "I don't even think he said his name. My answer was of course yes. I'm supposed to go in next week to look over the contract." He needed to call his dad and brother about it. One thing his father had told him when he started high jumping again was 'never sign a contract without a lawyer.' It was good advice.

"That is really wonderful Sano!" Mizuki raised her glass to him again. Sano did the same, but took only a tiny sip when Mizuki took hers. Couldn't ignore a 'cheers' for his success. "In a month you will be on billboards! In commercials! Maybe even the movies!" Every time she described a medium her gestures got more extravagant.

He laughed again. This was a good feeling. This was something he hadn't known for months. It was a kind of lightness in the air. "We'll see, one step at a time. I think Kagurazaka was only in print ads." Mizuki remembered seeing one in a magazine a month ago. Sano had shown her and the magazine was still in his desk.

"You'll beat that in a month I bet. After all, you're more handsome than he is!" Mizuki winked at him.

Hibari was standing in the door, trying her best not to interject with an agreement. Carrying a small tray up the stairs, she set down a large bowl of vegetables, three kinds of glaze, and three brushes to braise the vegetables while grilling. Two glasses of water also sat on the tray, which she placed beside the martinis, first Sano, and then Mizuki. "This is a soy sauce glaze, this is a savory bourbon glaze, and this is a fish glaze." She pointed to each individually. "I always recommend the soy glaze with the bok choy. Enjoy your first course, and I'll come back and check on you again shortly." Again, she disappeared down the steps, keeping her pride as high as she could.

Mizuki pulled out the chopsticks wrapped in the red napkin beside her. Using the top end, she began to move the vegetables around in the bowl. There were radishes, types of lettuce, bell peppers, squash, the bok choy Hibari had mentioned, and a few slices of tomato among others. "My my there are a lot of vegetables in here."

Sano had already taken a piece of the radish out and doused it in the bourbon glaze. A few drops fell into the fire, causing it to flare a bit. Mizuki followed his example and quickly the whole bowl was on the grill, covered in the sauce varieties. The smell of char filled their room. Mizuki was the first to taste the soy bok choy, and she agreed with Hibari. Although the bourbon radish was also fairly delicious. Their talking decreased almost to a minimum as the equivalent of a salad course disappeared. Hibari glanced into the room, and when they were clearly enjoying themselves, she left them alone, taking all the first course bowls along.

After the grill was cleared, Hibari reappeared, carrying a small grill brush, a water pitcher, and a few woodchips. "I'm glad to see the two of enjoyed that so much." By now, Hibari had stopped pretending to notice Mizuki. Very rarely did her eyes leave Sano, and it was generally only to prevent her skin from burning. She scrubbed the grate clean of the burnt vegetables, dropped the wood chips in, and filled their water glasses. "I will be back with the main course in a few minutes."

Mizuki and Sano both enjoyed the scent of the smoke changing. It came from something Mizuki's father had used the few times he had grilled, mesquite. Their martinis were slowly disappearing. Sano no longer felt like his tongue was melting when he sipped the martini, and he realized he might just be able to get used to the taste.

As promised, Hibari returned, this time carrying a tray full of meats, two giant bowls of rice, and quite a few bottles. Kneeling beside the table she set each down, describing the items within. "Yellowtail, salmon, Kobe beef, pork, and prawn. Mushrooms, and onions. Each of these bottles is an alcohol to flavor to meat. Be careful, they will cause fires. A chardonnay, a small bottle of champagne, cabernet, cognac, and bourbon. This is another type of fish glaze, a Thai spice glaze, and an amaretto glaze." She set the tray beside her, and looked toward Sano. "May I prepare a piece for each of you?"

Sano looked to Mizuki who responded so positively it echoed in the room. Silently Hibari took two pieces of the Kobe beef, set them on the grill, and doused them in the cognac. The fire exploded up and around the beef, pushing Mizuki and Sano back. Every few seconds, Hibari added a few drops of cognac to the meet until she was satisfied with the color and smell. Taking a set of metal serving chopsticks, she placed the beef on their plates. She bowed, smiled at Sano, and disappeared once again wishing them a pleasant dinner.

"Oh my god this smells so good Sano." Mizuki tried to say it loud enough for Hibari to hear down the hall. It really did, and her slice disappeared in one bite. Sano laughed, and took a small bite, trying to remind Mizuki to not inhale to quickly. It went completely over her head. She loaded the grill before he was finished with his bite, and started doing just as Hibari had. It was a symphony of fire, and Mizuki was conducting.

Each time it flared up, they both backed away, but Mizuki was getting braver. Though it smelled good, Mizuki completely avoided the Thai glaze. Her tongue couldn't handle the spice. There was champagne on the prawn, amaretto glaze on the pork, mushrooms and onions on another piece of the beef, and as many other combinations as Mizuki could think of. Sano filled in the last few spaces.

They enjoyed the dinner a bit slower, and Mizuki did her best not to eat pieces in one bite, although sometimes she was unsuccessful. "This is so good Sano!" Mizuki set her chopsticks down on the table, and rested back slightly. Her stomach was at a perfect state of full. Her martini glass was empty, and the vodka was flowing through her blood. "I'm so glad I found that job." Sano nodded, sipping his martini, the alcohol not quite affecting him. "I can't believe that it worked out so well. My luck never works out like that." As Sano took the last piece of meat from the grill, Hibari returned, collecting the bowls and the rest of the dishes. "Thank you so much Hibari, this has been so wonderful." Hibari nodded and smiled toward Mizuki. It was strange, because it meant she was proficient in yet another skill, but the compliment also felt slightly degrading. She scrubbed the grill again, dropping in a few more coals and stirring the embers.

"Thank you Ashiya. And to you as well Sano. I'll be back with the dessert in just a moment. Coffee?" Both shook their heads, although Mizuki thought it might be good for her mind since it was swimming. The hearts weren't floating up as often, but Mizuki could still see them. She disappeared for the last time, and Mizuki felt the strange twinge of sympathy again.

Sano and Mizuki sat together for another few minutes, talking lightly of the evening, and the day again. Sano hadn't finished his martini, and the olives were still skewered with the toothpick. He ate them, surprised that olives stuffed with blue cheese and soaked in vodka were good.

The fire inside the grill had turned to hot coals and a very concentrated heat. Hibari returned carrying another small tray. She set a bowl of fruit on the table, a metal bowl of chocolate pieces with a plastic spoon, a small bowl of marshmallows, and two long metal sticks, slightly charred at the ends. She set the metal bowl on top of the grill, and stirred it with a plastic spoon. Finally, she set down three bowls of whipped cream. "This is real whipped cream, this is green tea flavored, and this is a nutty whipped cream." Mizuki had never heard of nutty whipped cream. "Be careful, the fruit will burn quickly, and the make sure to stir the chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, you can use the metal sticks to guide it off the grill, just be careful. I recommend roasting the marshmallows, dipping them in chocolate, and then having the green tea whipped cream. Also very good with strawberries." Before she left, Hibari set the bill on the table. "Have a good night… Sano. And you too Ashiya." With that she disappeared one last time.

"Well Mizuki… I'll take some of the fruit, but most of this is yours." He made the same disgusted face at the chocolate. "Although, the whipped creams do sound good." Mizuki had already arranged the fruit on the grill, was helping the chocolate to melt, and roasting the marshmallows in the coals. It was an orchestra of movement, and Sano watched her with a kind of reserved interest. She knew how to enjoy herself.

He had never grilled fruit before. The lines running over the apple pieces and strawberry slices looked a little like art. A few pieces were lost in the fire, but burning fruit still smelled good. Mizuki pulled her marshmallows up, dipped them in chocolate, and scooped a bit of the green tea cream onto her plate. Sano tried all the fruits, and all the creams, but never did he venture to the marshmallows or the chocolate, just as Mizuki expected. "I wish you liked chocolate Sano… this is really good." She pointed to Hibari's suggestion.

"Can't take how sweet that is." There wasn't even a chance for him to try it. The last of the dessert was cleared from the grill, Mizuki scooted the bowl of chocolate from the fire, and each one of the whipped cream bowls was polished clean. Resting back once more, Mizuki smiled at Sano, and there was a pleasant silence between them.

The manager reappeared in their little room, kneeling beside the two, and collecting a few of the empty items. "Did the two of you enjoy everything tonight?" They both nodded, Mizuki recounting how good everything had been. The manager bowed with a smile across his face. "I'm glad to hear that. If the two of you every wish to return to Kura, just call and make reservations. The hostess will ask your name, and we will make sure everything is perfect." He bowed deeply once more, and returned the way he came.

After sitting a minute more, Sano motioned that it was time to leave, and Mizuki agreed. They took the bill up to the woman who had taken Mizuki's reservation hours before. She handed Sano his change. "Did the two of you enjoy the evening?"

Sano nodded, and Mizuki gushed compliments just as Hibari had earlier. "It was wonderful! Hibari was great, the room was great, the quality of food, the drinks. Everything, great." The woman laughed, guessing that the martinis on the tab were affecting the young woman. Sano took her hand and they exited the restaurant the same as they came in.

Standing on the sidewalk, Mizuki twirled around a few times enjoying the cool air. Sano walked over to the valet, who already had his keys prepared. "Have a wonderful evening Sano!" Taking Mizuki again by the hand, he led her to the car and opened her door. Mizuki slid in, and smiled up at him. The door shut, and Sano circled around, saying goodbye to the valets.

As Sano entered the car, Mizuki leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you Izumi." Her eyes were closed. She would stay here as long as he was driving.

"I love you too Mizuki."


	12. Daisies and Sunflowers

Sano had been kind enough to leave the drapes closed. Her head was throbbing, and the yipping from Yuujiro that had woken her up was driving a nail into her skull. She rolled around in the covers, emerging from her cocoon, and looking down at Yuujiro. The mass of tangled hair, and smeared makeup made him whine and back away slightly. She rolled out of the bed and onto the floor, staring blearily up at the ceiling. Yuujiro circled around her, and licked her hand. In a weak display of affection she scratched his nose gently, and sat up. Taking in her surroundings, Mizuki pushed herself up, and earned her sea legs.

Yuujiro whined a little more, and even though her first instinct was to run to the bathroom, Mizuki stumbled down the stairs, and opened the door for Yuujiro. She realized a moment after the door stood open that she was only in a shirt, and that her neighbors were out for a walk. Cheeks turning as bright as they could, she disappeared behind the door, and slumped down. It took a lot of energy to be embarrassed, and her reserves were tapped. Yuujiro wandered around the yard for a few minutes while Mizuki sat with her eyes closed, one foot still visible from the door.

On the way in, he licked her big toe, and she gingerly opened her eyes. This must have been what it was like for Nakatsu the day he stayed the night. She nudged the door closed with her foot, the darkness returning to the room. After a few minutes, she stood back up, went around the house closing the rest of the curtains, and sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen. In her mind she passed over the recipe she had made for Nakatsu the few months ago. If she was right, everything was in the refrigerator, it was only a matter of getting up to make it. Yuujiro nuzzled her leg, and she reached down to scratch his head.

With a little extra movement, she started mixing things in a glass. It smelled like a foot, and it tasted about as good, but she could feel a bit of her energy returning. This was why she never drank. One hangover in a month was almost too much. She caught her reflection in her spoon and made a face. She was in a terrible need for a hair brush and a shower. Without finishing the tasty beverage, she returned up the stairs, and hopped into the shower. Hot water made everything feel better. Her shoulders loosened, and it became her central goal to stay in here as long as possible.

And to that goal she stuck, at least until the hot water become cold water. Shivering slightly as she stepped out, she wrapped up in what was Sano's large towel. She figured he wouldn't mind if she borrowed it for the moment. Her head was feeling significantly clearer, even though she could still feel the nail. She used the edge of the towel to clear the fog from the mirror. A slightly fresher face looked back at her. She slicked her hair back and made faces. The only thing left was to brush her teeth, and go back to working on lesson plans for the day.

Carrying a pen and an extra pad of paper, she sat down on the couch and looked over the stack of papers. They were strewn about her coffee table, and it looked like there were a lot of holes to fill. To work. They wanted to see her lesson plan the following day, and then her teaching would begin on Monday. She spent a good few hours working, feeling better as the minutes passed until finally she realized she was hungry. Very very hungry. It was a little after one, and she hadn't eaten once for the day. The drink in the morning didn't count.

Putting down her pen and the notebook, she trotted over to the refrigerator and found a bit of fish and a peach. Both of these she took large steady bites of until her hunger subsided. Even though she still had energy, she had lost interest in working on her schedule for the moment. Yawning a bit, she paced around her kitchen. The idea suddenly came to her that she needed to let someone else know about her job. Taking a seat back on the couch, she punched in Nakatsu's number in her phone. A familiar song played back in her ears. "Na na na nanana naa nana, na na na nanana naa nana…" A song from high school. She went into the lyrics and didn't notice the song had stopped.

A small laugh on the line stopped her in her tracks. "You have a nice voice Mizuki… yet another talent I did not know." She blushed a little. "What's up?"

"Thanks… Nakatsu… Uhm…" For a minute she forgot what she had called about. "Well. I was calling to let you know that your suggestion was right! I got a job at a school in Tokyo."

"MIZUKI! THAT'S WONDERFUL!" She pulled the phone away from her ear, wincing from the vibrations in her ear drum. "Oh I have to come see you! This deserves a proper celebration!"

Even holding the phone away, she could hear his regular voice. "Oh no Nakatsu, you don't have to do that. Traveling all this way…" But before her first two words were out of her mouth, the line went dead. She looked down at it, her friendly home screen showing instead of Nakatsu's name. One thing that would be always be true, Nakatsu would do what he wanted. She closed her phone and looked at the clock, 1:30. If he really was coming, it would be a few hours. Sano would be home around 3, and until then she decided it would be best to work on her schedule. Once either of them arrived, her day to focus on school would be significantly diminished.

Her notebook was filled with ideas for the coming months, and all she really needed to do for the coming day was to file the first month down to a presentable lesson plan. Her pen dragged across the pages, and the hours resumed their passage. Around 3:30, Yuujiro pawed her leg to be let out again. On autopilot, she walked to the door, and pulled it open, still absently writing.

"Hey Mizuki." Sano's voice startled Mizuki so much she threw the pen and paper in the air and grasped for a shoe to throw. Sano ducked out of the doorway, and peered around the corner when he heard the shoe fall.

"Oh my god I'm sorry Sano. You scared me so badly." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Mizuki looked a bit sheepish, and moved aside so he could enter. "Welcome home…"

Sano nodded, and watched her cautiously as he walked by. "Yup… I'm home…" He slid off his shoes and Yuujiro trotted inside behind him. Mizuki leaned down and picked up her notebook and pen. Just as she had earlier, her foot closed the door and she returned to the living room.

"How were the meetings with Nike today Sano?" She wasn't sure where he had gone, but thought his voice might lead her to him. The complete lack of response led her to believe he was in the bedroom. Setting her notebook on the banister pillar, she walked upstairs and peered around the corner. His slightly more formal clothes were strewn across the floor. Mizuki smiled and leaned down, picking up his slacks and the button up shirt. She folded them, and sat down on the bed, waiting from him to come out of the bathroom.

His hair was slicked back, as Mizuki liked, and he seemed a bit more comfortable in his Nike shorts. He sat down aside her, picking up a few papers the company had given him. She asked her earlier question again, and Sano closed the stapled packet he was reading. "Well. They aren't giving me a giant contract, but it's enough. Everything looks good as far as my rights go."

"You think they'll give you a longer contract soon?" Mizuki picked up one of the packets, all the clauses seeming a bit overwhelming.

Sano stood up, collecting what was left on the bed. "Don't know. Won't know until Kagurazaka's ankle is healed, like I said yesterday." Mizuki nodded, and handed him the papers in her hand.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy." He nodded. Needing to file things, he took his first steps toward the stairs. "Oh… Sano? I think Nakatsu is on his way here."

Eyebrows raised in a familiar manner, he turned back toward Mizuki. "Here? From where? And why?"

Another sheepish grin from Mizuki. "From Osaka… I think. And because he wanted to celebrate my new job. I don't know what he wants to do, but maybe you can join us?"

He looked down the stairs at Yuujiro, who was waiting patiently for a walk. "I don't know Mizuki. I have to read all of these before I sign the contracts, and I have practice in the morning." Not to mention the fact that his friendship with Nakatsu was, at best, on the rocks. Coming over drunk, kissing him, and his girlfriend, always seeming to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, all these things were driving in a giant stake.

Mizuki nodded. "I understand Sano… After all, you and I celebrated yesterday." She had guessed he wouldn't be interested. It was more of a warning anyway. "I don't know how long until he gets here. Do you want me to cook?"

Sano thought for a second. "No… I guess not. Is there some rice ready?" It was strange for her not to be cooking. He couldn't say that he expected her to cook, but she almost always did.

"Not yet. I'll put some in when we go downstairs." She had thought of rice earlier, but her brain never suggested cooking any. Sano's eyebrows both went up. No rice? That was like blasphemy.

"Okay… I'm gonna go take Yuujiro for a walk." He shook his head walking down the stairs. The world had gone a bit crazy when he walked in the door; he hoped that walking out of it would fix the insanity. Yuujiro hopped around him, and together they began their walk.

Mizuki followed him down the stairs, and picked her notebook up on the way. The rice would take a bit to cook, but Sano was on his walk, so it didn't matter too much. She looked at the clock again, a little after four. Returning to her favorite spot on the couch, she turned her focus back to her lesson plans. She had to finish these before Nakatsu arrived.

The rice cooker dinged about a half an hour later. Mizuki hopped up to its summons. It masked the sound of her doorbell. She lowered the cooker down to a warming heat, and turned around to lean on the counter. Nakatsu was smiling at her. In shock, Mizuki dropped down behind her kitchen island, and held her breath for a second.

"Surprise Mizuki!" He called out, reaching his hand down for hers. "Didn't mean to scare you, the door was open and you didn't answer the doorbell. And I was excited to see you!" Mizuki sat on the floor for a minute, collecting herself, and then reached up to his hand. He pulled her up, and she leaned back again against the counter.

"Don't worry Nakatsu." She held onto the counter for a moment, still off balance from Nakatsu's appearance. A strange feeling was washing over Mizuki. It was without a name, but she couldn't ignore it. She turned her eyes to the floor, catching the slight skip in her system.

"I'm sorry Mizuki! I didn't mean to scare you so badly." Nakatsu wasn't sure what to do. Mizuki didn't fall silent for things like that very often.

"It really is okay Nakatsu!" She shook her head, shaking the last of the strangeness away. "What did you have planned for today?"

That was better, much more Mizuki-like. "That's for me to know!" He walked back toward the entrance. The sound of scampering feet indicated an excited Yuujiro back from his walk. Nakatsu peered around the corner as Yuujiro went trotting by, clearly indicating his dislike, but far more focused on Mizuki and the chances for food. Sano followed behind. "Hello Izumi!" Nakatsu stepped down into the entryway, smiling. "How are you?"

Sano nodded. "Well Nakatsu, I'm doing well. A little surprised you came all the way from Osaka." Mizuki peered around the corner, looking at the two.

"Well you got to celebrate with Mizuki, and I want my chance too! This does mean she gets to stay in Japan after all. We can all be happy about that." As almost mirror images, Nakatsu pulled his shoes on, and Sano pulled his off.

"Well Nakatsu, just make sure she comes back in one piece." Sano looked up at Mizuki. Perhaps he was being a little too careless, Nakatsu was being quite cavalier. But he too shook of the strangeness. "See you when you get home Mizuki." He stepped into the hallway and waved to Nakatsu.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Nakatsu stepped out onto the porch to wait for her. Inside Mizuki smiled at Sano, and pulled a pair of shoes on. She grabbed a jacket, and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"So what are we doing Nakatsu?" They walked together down the street. Sometimes Mizuki got tired of living in the suburbs, it was going to take a good hour to get wherever they were going. Public transportation was great, but time consuming.

"Well, the first stop is the bus. And after that, it's still for me to know." He strolled along the sidewalk, hands in his pockets. "How does it feel to be employed Mizuki?"

She put her hands in her pockets as well, and ended up walking in time with his footsteps. "It feels good. And really a relief. I spent most of today getting a good lesson plan ready." She kicked a rock laying on the sidewalk.

"Oo, rock soccer." Nakatsu returned it to her with a short pass. "Sounds like you're a little excited. Mizuki nodded and kicked the rock back again, not quite as elegantly, but Nakatsu recovered it.

"Yeah. I think teaching sounds good. I remember really liking classes with good teachers in high school. Maybe my students to be will remember me like that." Her fingers fiddled with a bit of lint in her pants, absently shuffling her feet a little bit.

Nakatsu dribbled his rock, eventually kicking it off the bus stop sign. "I'm sure you'll fall under that category." They fell quiet for a few minutes, waiting for the bus. Nakatsu rocked back and forth on his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Mizuki. There was still something off.

Inside, Mizuki was trying to think about her next few days, but the feeling kept poking its head around. It was making her act a bit somber. She closed her eyes for a moment, and imagined balling her fist up, ready for battle. Right now would be good. She could worry later. The bus pulled up, and Nakatsu stepped on, pulling her along with him.

"Are you really feeling okay Mizuki?" He sat down and pulled her down as well. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly. Had his recommendation actually been a bad one? What if she hated the idea of being a teacher? What if she hated Japan now and wanted to go home? What if she actually wanted to stay home with Sano? Was he trying to spend too much time with her? A million things were swimming through his head.

"What? Are you kidding Nakatsu?" She gave him a playful nudge. "I'm fine. A bit distracted, but fine."

Nakatsu looked at her for a moment, but finally nodded. "Just hope you can smile a bit more when we get where we're going." He turned his attention to the windows, waiting for their stop, leaving Mizuki to think a bit more in silence.

Nakatsu grabbed her hand again, and pulled her off the last subway car. Mizuki questioned the continual jerking movements, but followed him. "You know, you could just say this is our stop, Nakatsu." She protested finally, but she didn't try to free her hand.

"Sure thing Mizuki." But Nakatsu just kept plowing forward. It was just after rush hour, so there were still many people. They carved a path through the crowd and up the stairs. As they emerged onto the street, Mizuki blocked her eyes from the sun, taking it last few hours in the sky. She looked around and realized they were very close to Sano's stadium. They started off in the direction of a wide grove of trees, and after a minute or so; they were strolling through a park. Nakatsu had let go of Mizuki's hand, returning them to his pockets.

"What is this place?" She looked around, trees covering the path they walked along. She knew there went many places like this in Tokyo.

"Just a park. I used to come here often in high school actually. Good place to go running. Except on Sundays. Never been here on a Sunday."

Mizuki laughed. "Why never a Sunday?"

Nakatsu ran his fingers through his hair so that it was sticking up straight and entered a pose, imitating a random anime character. "You know those kids. This is where they meet."

"Ohhh…" Mizuki mimicked him, and together they walked down the path pretending to be the stylish teens of Japan. After laughing at each other for a few minutes, they resumed their normal stroll. "How come you never told me you came here?"

Nakatsu looked up for a minute. "I dunno really. No one knew I came here though. It was more fun running with everyone else, but when I was younger, when my Mom and Dad came to Tokyo on business we would come here and walk Hanako. While I was at Ohsaka, it reminded me Osaka." He laughed at the sentence. "Funny I went to a school named Ohsaka."

Mizuki kicked her foot into the dirt and watched the puff of dust float up. "Show me the path you ran!" The idea came to her like a bolt of lightning. She gave him a second to process what she had said before she sprinted ahead of him, reminding him that she was still as good of a runner as he.

Nakatsu took after her like a bullet. He ended up neck and neck with her before a conveniently placed rock tripped him. Mizuki had to stop because she was laughing. "The look… on your face… priceless."

Sitting up, Nakatsu grabbed her hand once more and with one quick pull she was falling towards the unforgiving ground. Suddenly reconsidering his decision, Nakatsu rolled so that she fell awkwardly onto his back. Nakatsu lay on the ground for a few minutes, Mizuki sitting on his lower back, still laughing, though a bit startled.

She stood up when Nakatsu started wiggling a bit. She reached down to give him a hand up, to which Nakatsu accepted and groaned a bit. His back certainly wasn't happy to have had a 120 lb girl land on it. "Well that's what you get for trying to pull me down." She stuck out her tongue at him, and when Nakatsu acted like he was going to tackle her, she started running again, only this time with a little more effort.

At first Nakatsu just watched her go, considering if he really wanted to chase her. She looked back at him, still running at full speed, smiling. There were stars all around her, and everything was pink. If his nose was still in the habit of bleeding, it would have. "Are you coming Nakatsu?" She called out, jogging backwards.

Waking him up from his daydream, Nakatsu's back suddenly didn't hurt quite so badly. He went running after her again, this time being slightly more careful of rocks. Together they jogged down Nakatsu's old path, until Mizuki remembered something about food. They jogged quietly by a takoyaki stand, and without a word, Mizuki wheeled around and got in line.

Nakatsu watched her spin around. "It's strange how you act on impulses." He came up behind her, and peered at the grill. They did look delicious. The line moved forward, and they purchased two boxes, each taking a toothpick and returning to the path they were walking. One by one each takoyaki disappeared.

Finishing her last piece, Mizuki smiled and trotted over to the trashcan. Her legs feeling a bit tired from jogging; she followed the trail up to a bench and sat down. Nakatsu followed behind, though not sitting. "This has been nice Nakatsu, but why did you bring me to this park?"

"You just gotta keep following me Mizuki! We can walk slower though." He pulled her up again. Mizuki slumped slightly. "Okay." Nakatsu turned around, backed up to Mizuki and scooped her up, carrying her piggy-back. "This way we can get there faster. You have to see it before sunset."

Mizuki swung her feet back and forth, resting her arms on Nakatsu's shoulder. "I'm glad we're still friends Nakatsu." She looked up into the trees.

"Me too Mizuki." They struck on passed a few branches in the path until Nakatsu set her down, and pulled her along into the trees. "Stay close behind, it's not a thick forest, but it's easy to get lost anyway." The sun was just about to set below the horizon and the sky was turning bright red. "It's just a little farther." He pushed one more bush, and it opened into a grove.

Everywhere the grove was filled with daisies and sunflowers. Mizuki's mouth dropped open. With the sky bright red, the daisies almost looked pink. "Oh my god Nakatsu." She ran into the field and kneeled down, picking one of the flowers.

"I found this place after you left to go back to California. I thought I should bring you here if you ever came back." Nakatsu wandered into the field, pulling one of the sunflowers. "I knew you liked daisies." Mizuki busied herself picking a small bouquet. She arranged the flowers and stuck a few sunflowers in with it.

"Thank you Nakatsu." She walked back over to him. The sun was finally setting, and though they could still see, it was time to head back. She walked backwards watching the final strands of light on the field before walking back into the trees that Nakatsu was leading her through.

"I'm glad you liked it Mizuki. Now you can go there if you want to see daisies." They emerged back onto the path. "But I think we should get you back to Sano. You have work in the morning."

Mizuki smiled at the prospect. "How cool is that." Nakatsu nodded at her. The strolled down the path, Mizuki pulling the petals off one of her daisies, the rest of the bouquet safely in her purse. She started lagging behind again, her legs aching a little bit. She really hadn't run that much in almost a year. Nakatsu turned around to look at her, the trail of petals following them.

As he had earlier, when she caught up he leaned down and carried her piggyback again. Mizuki felt she should protest, but it was comfortable. Nakatsu remained silent for the most part, and when Mizuki finished pulling the petals, she started on a second. "What are you pulling the petals for?"

She sprinkled a few petals in his hair. "Nothing in particular." Nakatsu smiled, noticing a petal fall from his bangs. "Just like pulling the petals."

"Just don't pull all of your new flowers." Mizuki laughed and nodded. As they approached the subway station, that haunting feeling Mizuki had still not been able to put a name too started screaming. She wiggled a little bit. "You want down?"

"Yeah… I feel bad for making you carry me all that way." Her feet met the ground, and she kicked up another cloud of dush.

Nakatsu laughed. "Don't worry Mizuki." His cheeks were a little flushed. "We should get going though, not only do you have work, I have to get back to Osaka."

Her eyes widened a bit. "You have to go all the way back to Osaka tonight? Can you even catch a plane now?" Nakatsu thought about it, and looked at his cell. Eventually he shrugged his shoulders. "Well… why don't you just stay here?"

Nakatsu stuffed his hands back in his pockets. "Well… I could get a hotel room. But I might as well just sleep on the train on the way."

Mizuki smiled at him. "No I don't mean a hotel. Stay with us again! I would feel horrible if you came all the way here just to leave three hours later." Nakatsu couldn't lie, he wanted to stay, but that fell under the 'things that won't happen,' list.

"Thanks for the offer, but I couldn't impose again. I'll just catch a train home." Mizuki looked at him, and the feeling was throbbing inside. She looked at him for a few minutes, standing still in front of the station. "What's up Mizuki?" He furrowed his eyebrows a little bit.

Without a word, Mizuki leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek. Nakatsu froze, stuck in the same face. When Mizuki pulled back, she was almost in panic. She went running down the stairs to her subway platform, hoping her train would be nearby. However, she didn't have to worry about Nakatsu following her. He was frozen until long after her train left.


	13. Covers and Weights

Clumsily, Mizuki reached over and hit the snooze button on her alarm. It was still dark outside, and Mizuki was already missing the days when she could sleep in. She rolled over to where Sano should have been. Instead his half the bed was neat, and Mizuki propped herself up on her elbows. Her eyes were slits and she was starting to make out the situation. He must have gotten up for practice early. Rolling up tighter in the blankets, Mizuki dozed. The alarm rang again a few minutes later, and Mizuki leaned forward, hair in a tangled mess, and feeling the morning. Again, clumsily, she rolled out of the bed, and went into the bathroom. She enjoyed a very hot and quick shower, and brushed her teeth. When she again emerged, the sun was peeking through the curtains.

Excited for the day, she pulled on her work clothes, and trotted down the stairs. She glanced around the kitchen, and with no time to make a full breakfast she poured a bowl of cereal. Sitting on the bar chairs, she hummed a little song and ate her breakfast. After a few large spoonfuls she noticed a shadow leaning against the wall.

Yuujiro trotted along beside Sano, sat down and looked menacingly at Mizuki. "Good morning Izumi!" She smiled brightly at him. He walked over to the counter and slid a newspaper to her. Without saying anything he disappeared again. Mizuki looked puzzled and then glanced down to the newspaper. The front page was a giant picture of Nakatsu and her, lips locked together. It was a shoddy photoshop, and the headline beneath read "New Lover for Future Soccer Star… but Who is she REALLY Dating?"

After glancing over the article, Mizuki followed Sano's tracks to his office. Izumi was working on his contracts. She observed him silently for a minute. She found the article remarkably funny, but she knew it was a very bad idea to laugh about it. Sano clearly was sore about it. After standing still for a few minutes, Mizuki went over and sat on his desk. He looked up at her, a kind of neutral stare that hid his feelings even from her.

"You know it's not true right Sano?" She reached out for his hand. He dodged her attempt and rested his hand on Yuujiro. "I did give him a kiss on the cheek, but it was like a European goodbye. He was really nice yesterday."

Izumi rested his head back on his chair. His stare was breaking just a bit, but Mizuki still could not tell what was underneath. "You know, Ashiya, it's not the tabloid cover, and its not spending time with him, and it's not your lack of responsibility, and its not your inconsistent behavior…" He met her eyes, and a slight shiver went down her spine. "It's all of those things. I feel like we've had this conversation a thousand times. This isn't high school. Right now, if you hadn't found the job you've had for LESS THAN A WEEK, you'd be close to being deported. I love you Mizuki, but your lack of responsibility is getting ridiculous. I can't carry us through everything, particularly when you're on training wheels for real life." He stood up, looked down at her, and kissed her forehead. Mizuki was in a small state of shock. There was a cruel undertone in his words she had not heard before. "I have practice, so I'm leaving. I'll be home tonight, but I leave for competition tomorrow." He grabbed his sports bag, and Mizuki heard the door close a minute later.

After a few minutes, a bit of sensation returned. There was an unfamiliar wetness on her cheek. Taking a deep breath, she slid off his desk, and pushed the button on his monitor, something he always forgot to do. Yuujiro was sitting in the hallway, still looking a bit menacing. Mizuki looked at him, and walked by. She came into the kitchen; her bowl of cereal was still sitting on the counter, soggy from the milk. Mizuki had no appetite left, she moved the bowl into the sink, and took a few more deep breaths. Taking stock of the day, Mizuki realized she needed to hurry, the bus would be leaving soon, and it was clear Sano would be no help… for much of anything. She grabbed her lesson plans from the coffee table, and dashed out the door. Ever since Nakatsu had left the soccer ball on the porch, Mizuki never stepped outside without looking first.

The coast being clear, Mizuki ran to the bus stop in short heels. The world seemed a little drab now, the clouds full of rain, and the sun a little less bright. She arrived at the bus stop and saw the bus coming down the road. A few others were waiting beside her, but they all remained silent. Mizuki wasn't keen to talking to anyone anyway. They stepped onto the bus and Mizuki took an open seat. She glanced over her lesson ideas and felt a few butterflies. After a half hour she changed to the subway and after another half hour she had arrived. There were students dashing around the outside. Unlike her high school, it was a co-ed establishment. No girls dressed like boys to meet their… Mizuki stopped her thought. She straightened her shirt, hair, skirt, and then walked through the gate, heading for the teachers' office area. She opened the door and saw the vice principal sitting beside the windows. He looked up at her and motioned for her to approach.

"Good morning Ashiya." Sasaki stood up and bowed to her, which Mizuki returned a bit deeper. "The director and principal are waiting in the back room. If you will please follow me." He took a few strides towards a closed door. Inside there was a single table, and four chairs, three on one side and one on the other. The director and principal were already seated, but they stood to receive Mizuki.

After another round of bowing, the director instructed Mizuki to take her seat. "Well Ashiya, welcome to Tagara. Please demonstrate your lesson plans. We would like to get you in the classroom as soon as possible, perhaps even today." Rooting through her bag, Mizuki pulled out her books, and handed it to the director. He glanced over it quickly while Mizuki shared her ideas for the students. Takashita nodded his head after a few minutes, pleased with her plans. "Alright Ashiya, we are going to send you to your room. The previous teacher was a homeroom teacher for class 2-A, and you will take over that class." Each of them stood up, and Mizuki followed their example. "Sasaki, please go and get Ashiya the class book, and copy enough of these tests for all of her classes." The vice principal bowed to Takashita, and disappeared through the same door Ashiya had entered. "Miyamoto, please show Ashiya around the building and take her to 2-A. If you have any questions Ashiya, the teachers will assist you." The director signaled for them to leave, and Mizuki followed Miyamoto out into the teacher's area again. She was a bit surprised how swiftly the director had dismissed them, but relieved her plans were acceptable.

The vice principal handed her a booklet with her students listed inside, as well as a map of the school, and the very large stack of tests. "Good luck Ashiya. The first day is always the hardest." Mizuki bowed to him, and Miyamoto lead her through the building. The school wasn't giant, three floors and another building across a quad as well as a few fields. Mizuki looked out each window as they passed, trying to figure out which class had been the one looking down at her during her exclamation when she got the job. They arrived at her classroom, and Miyamoto opened the door for her. The students looked up curiously, Mizuki recognizing one of the faces that had looked down at her.

The class started whispering, hushed mentions of crazy Japanese American woman. Miyamoto introduced her as their new teacher, and a few of the students audibly laughed, making comments in Japanese that were not of the best color. Their previous teacher had not been fluent in Japanese, and Mizuki could tell they hadn't like her much. Miyamoto scolded the students, and instructed them to respect their new teacher. In perfect Japanese Mizuki told him that it was all right, after all, they were just high school students. The offending students turned a bright shade of red, and everyone shut their mouth and faced forward. Hello everyone, my name is Ashiya Mizuki." She smiled at them and wrote her name on the chalkboard. "As you can guess, I speak Japanese, but we will not be using it in this classroom. From now on, I want all you to speak English only. Since you are my homeroom, you are the students I want to learn the most." Halfway through her micro-speech she had switched from Japanese to English. The students were struggling to keep up. "How many of you understood that? Just raise your hands." A few students did so, and Mizuki smiled at them. "Good job."

It was strange standing in front the students like this, Mizuki had never considered being a teacher, but the first few minutes were going smoothly. "Okay…" she opened the book to call roll, and went through all the names, trying to tie the faces together. All but one student was present. "Well, everybody. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not very good at this, I've never been a teacher before, but I certainly hope we'll get better together." She took a moment to take stock of the room. "Um… I don't really know what else to say for homeroom. Miyamoto… what am I supposed to do for this part of the day?"

The students muffled their laughter again. "Well, generally you'll talk about the weeks ahead, any school activities, and things like that. We'll give you a list of those later today." Mizuki nodded, and looked back toward the students. They all seemed to have lost interest, most talking amongst themselves. Mizuki looked back over her student list, and tried to remember who was who. Miyamoto let her know he was leaving. As he was about to open the door, another student came barreling through the door.

"Holy crap how late am I." He said to himself. "Sorry Mr. Miyamoto… didn't mean to run over you." Miyamoto was still recovering a bit from the blow, but motioned that it was fine. The student looked up at Mizuki, and his jaw dropped. "You're the lady from the tabloid!" The rest of the class went silent, half of them studying Mizuki's features and comparing it to their mental image, and the other half wondering what Satoh was talking about. After a few seconds hushed voices began discussing the possibility, and Mizuki felt her cheeks flush. Miyamoto was clearly processing the information, and Satoh, was standing dumbstruck. "So wait… are you our teacher?" He looked at her, puzzled.

"Uhh… Yes?" It was an answer to both questions, but it felt increasingly awkward as the knowledge she was somewhat infamous spread through the room. It was particularly disheartening to know Miyamoto was nearby. As such a new teacher, she didn't want her job in jeopardy on the first day.

"Wow… you kissed Nakatsu Shuichi. And you're my teacher." He sat down at the empty desk, and set his bag on the desk. He pulled out a copy of the tabloid, and looked over the cover again.

"Alright… I didn't actually kiss him like they have that picture. You all know what photoshop is I would guess." Already explaining her personal life to students. A bit too quick for her first day. "Nakatsu is a good friend from high school, and I have been dating my boyfriend for years."

Satoh looked down from the paper. "Is that Sano Izumi?"

In the background a bell chimed, and Mizuki was happy to avoid further questioning. "I think that's enough for now. Behave for your other teachers!" Mizuki grabbed her books at dashed out the door, Miyamoto following close behind.

"Miss Ashiya! Wait for a moment!" Mizuki desperately wished she could disappear into the next class and deal with Miyamoto later. However it did not seem wise to go running from the principal. She stopped and turned around, smiling sheepishly at him. "Is it true?" She nodded, eyes focused on the floor. Miyamoto put his arms on his hips. "Well… uh… okay. We're gonna have to talk about this later. Get to your first class." Mizuki nodded and went dashing down the hall, holding her map. Miyamoto paced back and forth for a minute before returning to the office.

Mizuki was beginning to calculate how horrible of a decision her peck on the cheek had been. How could something so small be affecting so much? She followed the map until she found her next room. After a second, Mizuki realized she didn't really want to open the door. Half the school probably already knew, but at least she had an excuse to keep everyone quiet with the test. Pushing the door open, the room went silent, as if everyone had already been talking about her. It was amazing how cell phones increased communication. Not even fifteen minutes and her personal life was known to everyone. A few of the girls glared at her jealously, a few of the boys did too.

She moved into the room and set her things down on the podium. Taking a short bow she looked out over the slightly judgmental class. "Hi everyone… my name is Ashiya Mizuki… and I'll be your… English teacher." A few of the students were whispering to each other. She took a few minutes to get their names straight, and then dove right into her plan. "I don't know how far you are along, so today we will be having a pretest, which will need absolute silence." Mizuki was really happy about the last part. She walked along the front setting down the papers on the first desks. "Please pass those back." They all watched quietly as she went by, not very happy about the pop test. She sat down on the desk at the front. "Go ahead and begin, bring them to me when you're finished."

Their pens scratched over the test, and the class passed by in silence. Mizuki kept glancing over the room, but was not paying any attention. Slowly the students finished the test and started looking up at her. The stack of finished papers grew until the last student had finished. It was remarkably close to the end of the class. "I am quite glad to be teaching… and I look forward to looking over these tests. Next week we'll have a better class, or at least one where all of you can speak. Oh! I know! I want all of you to write 10 sentences in English, and have fun with it." None of her students had managed any questions, and Mizuki was going to keep it that way for today. Again the bell sounded, and Mizuki disappeared, following the same pattern of find the next room, introduce herself, administering the test, and disappearing again. She took a short lunch alone, and finished the day without much incident despite every student being extremely curious.

She returned to the teacher's office and found the same awkward silence as she entered, a few of the teachers hiding their copies of her well-known cover. It felt like she was going to squeeze her books into her chest she was holding them so tightly. She sat down at her desk and buried her nose into grading. All day people were whispering about her, and that wasn't about to change. She felt a few eyes on her. Despite her focus, one of the teachers wandered over to her.

"Ashiya… can I ask you question?" The teacher was a younger woman, but at least a few years older than her. Mizuki looked up and nodded, realizing it was very unwise to say no. Being rude did not lead to a happy work place. "Thank you… Is the article true?"

Mizuki set down her pen, and turned her chair around. "Okay…" She motioned for everyone to come over. "I just want to clear the air. It's not really true, I've been with Sano Izumi since high school, and I went to high school with Nakatsu Shuichi. We are great friends, but that is all." Her colleagues looked a bit disappointed, but after a moment they began to feel the way Mizuki did. It was a sensational story, but a story was all it was. "I appreciate your interest in me, hopefully it will turn into friendships as I wish to be here for a very long time."

The woman nodded. "Well then… you think you could introduce me to him?" She had a wide smile. Mizuki felt a bit of the weight lift off her shoulders. They laughed together for a few minutes. The principal was leaning against one of the desks, and he had just as wide a smile.

The crowd dispersed back to their desks, and Miyamoto walked over, still smiling. "Listen Ashiya. As far as the director and I are concerned, we are pleased with your lesson ideas, and you have displayed good character to us so far. Please do not let something like this happen again, but as of now we are happy to have you as a teacher." Another huge weight lifted off Mizuki's shoulders. The only one now left was Sano. Miyamoto patted Mizuki's shoulder, and returned to his desk. A few of the other teachers were smiling at her.

She sat at the desk, continuing to grade. There was a bit of dread in her stomach. Other teachers began to file out, and Mizuki was done with grading the first few classes. It seemed time to go home. Outside the daylight was draining; Mizuki looked at her cell phone and started packing up her bag. "I'll walk you out Ashiya." The vice principal was getting ready to leave as well. "I always like to have company when I leave." Mizuki nodded and smiled. So far the rest of the teachers had all been nice, and she felt very welcome despite the stressful start.

Together they walked out the gate of the school, and sun peaking through the still gray clouds, dipping lower on the horizon. "Thank you Sasaki, for your kindness and help today. I really like this school."

He smiled at her and nodded. "I know what it's like to be a new teacher at such a young age." They walked together toward the nearest subway station. The newsstand's still set up had copies of the tabloids front and center, and half the people they passed noticed Mizuki. "Although I can't imagine what it's like having people recognize you left and right." He mused to her as they arrived at the station.

"It has been an experience today. I knew kind of what this was like before though. Sano doesn't get covers, but a lot of people know who he is, and I imagine it's only going to get worse for him. He isn't really one for the spotlight." The sponsorship would put his face on billboards everywhere. A tabloid might be bad, but a cover was only for a day.

"How is he feeling about this?" Sasaki inquired casually, but suddenly realized it might be a very awkward question for her. "I'm sorry if that question was too forward…"

"No, don't worry. It's fine. It might be different if the kiss had meant something, but it was just a token of friendship. So much of this is just about the photoshoping on the picture. But it's a tabloid, this'll go away." Sasaki nodded. They talked for a few more minutes while Mizuki looked over the list of train times. Hers was to arrive in a few minutes. "Well… it was nice talking to you Sasaki, but I need to catch my train."

Again he nodded. "That makes two of us. Mine is actually probably here." He laughed, obviously not overly concerned. "I'll see you next week Ashiya." He disappeared down an opposite flight of stairs and Mizuki smiled.

The train arrived, and Mizuki took a spot standing. The train was crowded, but with no one to really distract her attention, the last weight on her shoulders was coming to the surface. All the things Sano had said and the decision she had made, gnawing at her.


	14. Lonely

The sun was setting as Mizuki arrived home, setting her heavy bag on the floor and sliding her fancy shoes off in favor of slippers. Yuujiro had bolted out the door as she arrived, relieved to be out of doors for a few minutes, however he paid her now attention. She moved slowly through the hallway into the kitchen. In her rush that morning she had left her cell phone behind. The screen was flashing from the counter, full of messages. Leaning against the tile, she began listening to them. So many voices she didn't know asking questions about Nakatsu. Each one she deleted before they had finished their first sentence. Not a one from Sano.

The last message started with silence, a few stutters, and finally a voice she recognized. "Hey… Uhh… Mizuki. It's Nakatsu." Another minute of silence. "I'm sorry about the whole cover thing… uh… I'm… in town. If I could I would like to… I guess come and formally apologize? Anyway… I guess call me if you have a chance." The line went dead and a cold computer replaced the warmth asking to save or delete. She slid her thumb over a number and closed her phone.

There were little conflicting voices in her mind. She wanted company, but was it a good idea for Nakatsu to come over? Still leaning against the tile, she decided to throw caution to the wind. At this point, she was in need of a friend, and Nakatsu had been one of the best. Maybe he could offer some insight into Sano's behavior, and even if he couldn't, it would be nice to not think about it.

She heard Yuujiro pawing at the door, so she went to let him in. He trotted down the hall to Sano's office. It was strange to be so ignored by an animal she considered her own now. Sitting down in the spot Yuujiro had vacated when she arrived, Mizuki dialed Nakatsu's number and leaned back, waiting for a sound other than ringing.

It rang twice before a cautious voice answered. "Mizuki?" It sounded like Nakatsu was terrified.

"Yeah, it's me." There was an audible sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you called Mizuki. I'm sorry about the tabloid. I was scared Sano was gonna call and bite my head off through the phone. Actually scared just to be walking around Tokyo." He spoke quickly, like a child doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"Nope, don't worry too much about that. I think he's madder at me than you. He's in Europe this weekend anyway… so you don't need to worry about Tokyo for now." Mizuki stared off into space, wondering if it was really a good idea to do anything until Sano got back. Nakatsu had fallen quiet as well, unsure of what to say. It seemed somewhat rude to sound relieved, even though he was. "Actually Nakatsu… if you have time I could use a friend."

She hadn't finished her sentence before Nakatsu gave her his reply. "Of course Mizuki. I have to finish something here, but if you want to meet me, you can. I'm at Ajinomoto."

"That sounds good. That's pretty close actually." She hadn't ever been to the stadium, but she had seen it a few times at a distance. "If only Sano trained there…" She mused almost away from the phone speaker. "Anyway… I'll see you in a half an hour I guess."

"Okay Mizuki." They hung up, and Mizuki looked around. Knowing Yuujiro must be hungry, even if he wasn't asking, she poured a bowl for him and then went up the stairs to get out of the work clothes that were becoming uncomfortable. In the distance she could hear Yuujiro eating which gave her a little relief. At least he wasn't going to starve himself. Putting on her comfortable jeans and a long t-shirt, Mizuki smoothed her hair out in the mirror, and made a few more faces. It was always lonely in the house without Sano, but it felt especially strange today. She sat on her side of the bed and opened her side table drawer, going through the letters he used to leave for her on the pillow. She hadn't seen one in the past few months, but it felt nice to hold the pieces of paper.

As she descended the staircase, Yuujiro disappeared again. In a gesture of good will she put a little more kibble in his bowl. After consulting her bus map, she glanced outside. It didn't look to be cool, so Mizuki grabbed a light jacket and her purse. Outside the sky was only embers. She waited alone at the bus stop, as she often did.

The ride was smooth, Mizuki watching the sky go from the dying fire to nothing. The glow of Tokyo prevented any stars from being visible, but she imagined they were there. After changing buses twice, Mizuki could see the outline of Ajinomoto on the horizon. She walked cautiously up to the driver and asked politely how close the stop for the stadium was. He stopped as they approached, and Mizuki stepped off. The parking lot for the stadium was huge, but Mizuki crossed it quickly.

Unsure of exactly where she needed to go, Mizuki called Nakatsu again, glancing for any movement that might help guide her. It rang a few times before Nakatsu answered. His voice was hushed. "Hey Mizuki, we're finishing the team meeting. I'll be out in a few minutes. Do you mind waiting by our bus?" She barely had a chance to say yes before Nakatsu said a quick goodbye and hung up.

She looked around the parking lot. The game must have been the next day because there were almost no cars. She saw the Gamba Osaka bus parked a lot away and headed for it. She could hear chanting coming from one of the stadiums exits, and since it sounded more like Osaka than Tokyo, she figured their meeting must have ended.

She stood beside the bus, looking toward the crowd of soccer jackets walking towards her. She couldn't make out Nakatsu's outline, but she assumed it was one of the men jumping around. As the approached, Nakatsu came jogging up to her and the rest of the team looked curiously in her direction. "Hey Mizuki, sorry I had to hang up so fast, the coach was watching and I didn't want to get the team in trouble." Behind him, a few of his teammates had gathered. They were whispering and Mizuki glanced around Nakatsu towards them.

Noticing her movement, he looked over his shoulder. "Oh, hey. These are a few of my teammates. Shinichi Terada, Kenta Hoshihara, and Shoki Hirai." Mizuki bowed and they all exchanged the proper greetings. Mizuki noticed that the older members had disappeared onto the bus while a few of the younger teammates were trailing behind. "So… uh… yeah. I'm going to go spend some time with her, so…" Nakatsu trailed off. Mizuki could feel a few eyes from the bus, and she was beginning to feel slightly awkward. "I'll see you all at the hotel in a few hours." In an attempt to break away quickly, Nakatsu turned quickly, and began walking in a beeline from the bus. He considered grabbing Mizuki's hand in an attempt to guide her along, but reconsidered in the hopes she would follow on her own. She managed to figure it out, and they disappeared from view.

"Thanks for coming out Mizuki…" He took a deep breath and started thinking about the tabloid. He wanted to apologize for the cover, but as he thought about how best to do that, he realized that she was the one who kissed his cheek. Did he have to apologize for that? How could he do that? It was only a second before he was frozen in his tracks again, realizing again that Mizuki had kissed him. Only on the cheek, but it was a kiss. Mizuki realized he had stalled and looked back at him.

"Are you okay Nakatsu?" She raised an eyebrow. He look startled for a moment and then jumped right back into slightly more normal behavior.

"Oh yeah yeah, fine." He needed to not think about the thing he had just thought about. Didn't want to behavior too strangely. Freezing in the middle of walking definitely did that. But there were flowers. And her voice was so melodic, and everything was glowing pink and there were hearts.

"Are you sure you're okay Nakatsu?" Mizuki looked back at him again. It seemed like he was mid step when he had just stopped this time. "How do you do that anyway? Just freeze and not fall down? It's kind of impressive." She pretended to walk and then stop mid step. She wobbled on her left foot.

Nakatsu rushed forward in case she fell, but before he could catch her she regained her balance and looked puzzled as to why he was right next to her. He took a wide step to the side and resumed a steady pace. "I don't really know." He pretended to freeze again mid step and nearly fell over as well. "Must be a useless superpower. If a certain thought crosses my mind I can freeze in any position. I should try jumping sometime."

"Ohhh. That makes sense. What's the thought? Because I wonder if it would grant me the super power too…" She laughed and nudged Nakatsu.

Seeing an opportunity to be amusing, Nakatsu hopped onto the nearest bench, put his hands on his hips, and puffed out his chest. "If I told you, I would no longer have the super power! And then what would the world do without…" He trailed off realizing there wasn't much potential for a superhero that just froze occasionally. "Well… the world would probably be okay without that power, but I want to keep it thank you very much." Not to mention she caused the freezing. He hopped down from the bench.

"I have a useless superpower too." Mizuki half danced as she walked down the road. "I can turn invisible if I'm jumping off a staircase with two steps." Mizuki puffed her chest out like Nakatsu had.

He clapped his hands. "You are truly a hero." They laughed and took a steady pace down the sidewalk, street lights glowing overhead.

After a few minutes of silence Mizuki glanced over at Nakatsu. "I should thank you for coming out actually Nakatsu. You have team stuff to do, so it's really nice of you to spend time with me. And you don't have to apologize about the tabloid. It happens." Mizuki began to dance down the sidewalk again, thinking about Sano and the stupid magazine. "They're probably following us now."

Nakatsu glanced around, looking for the tell tale signs of a paparazzi mob. There were none, so he felt safe for the moment. "Well, even if they do, there's no story, so the Japanese public will just have to get over it." He watched as she moved along the sidewalk, slightly mesmerized by the level of grace Mizuki maintained when she wanted to.

Mizuki nodded, and about a block away she saw a staircase with only two steps. Excited to try her new useless superpower she went running up to it, and waved for Nakatsu to follow. Standing at the top, she put her hands on her hips and looked down toward Nakatsu. "Okay, so now you get to see my superpower. Are you ready?"

Nakatsu nodded, and took a step back. Mizuki pumped her fist in the air, leapt off the top step, and landed. Nakatsu pretended to be truly amazed. "Where did you go? I saw you jump, and land, but nothing in between."

"I know. Pretty awesome huh?" She pretended to strut down the street. Nakatsu nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh great superpower woman, would you tell me your secret?" Mizuki laughed and pushed him lightly on the arm.

"Only if you tell me yours." He shook his head emphatically.

"We will just have to live with our one useless superpower each." His voice had a deep sorrow in his voice.

It felt good to smile and laugh. It felt really good to not worry about the weight that was still sitting on her shoulders. They returned to silence again, but it was a pleasant quiet. The sidewalk was full of strangers and they seemed to be maintaining a degree of anonymity, due mostly to Nakatsu looking down. She didn't know if it was on purpose, but no one seemed to notice them.

They wandered for a while; chatting occasionally until finally the streets began to clear and Mizuki realized it was getting a little after her dinner time and they didn't seem to have any direction. She looked around; the area was populated with street vendors, small restaurants, and bars. It seemed like the pickings were good, and she nudged the rather silent Nakatsu and pointed at an okonimiyaki place.

There was a light in Nakatsu's eyes that went on whenever okonomiyaki was in the offering. He nodded enthusiastically and within ten minutes, their pancakes were cooking on the flat grill in front of them. "Why do you like okonomiyaki so much Nakatsu?" Mizuki asked as she flipped hers over.

Nakatsu did the same and thought about the question. He had always liked okonomiyaki, and they were especially popular in Osaka so he had them often as a child, but now they reminded him of Mizuki and high school. After all, his childhood hadn't been that wonderful especially considering his mother's disbelief in his soccer skill. "I always ate them in Osaka… but I guess the main reason now is high school. They remind me of good times."

"That's true. I only had okonomiyaki a few times when I was a kid. My parents never really ate it when they lived here I think. But I eat it now when I'm lonely. Sano gets mad about how many eggs I use." She sighed, tucking her hands between her knees. "I don't understand it Nakatsu… Sano is always so mad at me and I don't know what I did."

Nakatsu leaned precariously on the edge of the grill. "I'm sorry Mizuki… I don't know what happened. He seemed more like his old self… but he goes through phases I think. Just hold on, I think it will be okay." Nakatsu really wanted to rip out his own tongue. But it was more important for Mizuki to feel a little better. Whatever happened was for the best.

"I guess so…" She was staring into a distance Nakatsu didn't think he could cross. But the subtle sent of burning could. Mizuki quickly grabbed the spatula, attempting to save her okonomiyaki. It wasn't quite black on the bottom, but there were a few extra dark brown areas. "At least it isn't actually burned." Nakatsu had scooped his onto a plate and was getting ready to dig in. They both offered appreciation for dinner, and inhaled.

They sat and talked for a while, ignoring the customers that were beginning to notice them and what looked to be a group outside. But as an hour went by, Mizuki began longing for her home. "Hey Nakatsu, I think it's about time to head home." He nodded, and they got up, heading to the counter to pay. The eyes in the restaurant followed them. Mizuki was becoming tired of the whispers that were following her now.

"Did the two of you enjoy yourselves?" The cashier asked politely. Mizuki extended a thousand yen note to Nakatsu, who refused to take it.

"Yes we did, thank you for asking." He handed the woman his card, and despite Mizuki's insistence, still refused to take the money. "Just think of it like this Mizuki, I'm pretty sure that is a paparazzi mob outside, and you shouldn't pay me for this when you're going to be dealing with that." Mizuki glanced outside and felt fairly certain Nakatsu was right.

The cashier grinned sheepishly, returning his card. "Good luck." She didn't seem to really understand.

Mizuki walked toward the door, and a few of the cameras flashed brightly in her eyes. Nakatsu reached out to stop her. "I think we should find another way out of here Mizuki. Or at the very least, you should find another exit. I can lose these guys and come get you." He turned back to the cashier. "Do you have a back exit?"

"No." Mizuki looked back at Nakatsu and then motioned him forward. "It's like you said, there is no story, and I'm not going to run in fear of these people." Nakatsu gave a sideways smile. Of course Mizuki wouldn't run.

"Okay. Well, at least lets get a taxi and not wait for the bus." That seemed like a reasonable request, even if cabs were almost extortion in Tokyo.

It took Mizuki a few minutes of reflection before she agreed. "So how do you do this exactly Nakatsu?" She peered out through the glass, and it seemed like there were 40 people huddled in the small area waiting for them.

"Well…" Nakatsu couldn't lie, he hadn't ever actually dealt with a mob like this, but he was generally instructed to be forceful but polite about getting through. "I guess the best idea is to let me lead, hold onto my jacket, and I'll push through. Don't answer any questions." Mizuki nodded, and took a firm hold of his team jacket. Taking a deep breath Nakatsu opened the door and started pushing their way to the street. "Listen Mizuki, when we get through, we have to run, because they will follow us. I know we can get away, but we gotta be fast." He shouted over their questions as best he could.

The lights were flashing all around, and fragments were coming through as everyone yelled at the two for some sort of statement. It seemed like as they moved through the crowd, it swallowed up behind them. Mizuki could almost feel the breath on her neck, and she shrank down a little more out of discomfort. As Nakatsu saw the end of the group, he started pushing hard, trying to break the skin of the last layer. When he felt the free air, he grabbed Mizuki's hand, and bolted down the street.

A few of the paparazzi attempted to follow them, but Mizuki and Nakatsu had maintained their ability to sprint, and they rounded a corner, losing all but one who wanted to be very persistent. Nakatsu saw a taxi across the street and went bolting toward it. The driver looked somewhat alarmed when two new fares hoped inside, but he had no real complaint.

"Where to?" Mizuki blurted out their destination before the cab driver had finished his question. He looked irritatedly back at her, and Mizuki quickly apologized. The last remaining camera was now tapping on the glass and flashing its bulb at the taxi. The driver glared out the window, and drove off into the night. Mizuki and Nakatsu were both slightly out of breath. The driver looked back at them, commenting that he didn't often get a photographer trying to attack his cab.

Both Mizuki and Nakatsu apologized profusely for the circumstances, but the driver seemed to have forgiven them. He asked a few polite questions, and the drive went by fairly quickly. It was strange having faced a paparazzi mob. If that was a regular feature Mizuki was fairly certain she never wanted to anymore famous than she already was.

They arrived at their destination and Nakatsu handed the driver the ludicrous amount of money necessary. They got out, and Mizuki looked up at her home. It seemed so dark today. She wished she had left a light on. Behind them, the cab was driving off.

"Didn't you want to take that home?" She turned and asked.

"No. That was just to get us out of there. I can ride the bus back to my hotel. It's better that way. I might be well off now, but a few taxi rides will leave me bankrupt." He laughed, and gestured for her to head up her porch steps.

"Well, since you're still here the least I can do is let you in to sit down for a few minutes." Nakatsu thought about it for a moment. He could not lie that it sounded nice to go inside, but he needed to get back.

But who was he kidding, he couldn't deny Mizuki. "Yeah, I can come in for a few minutes." He joined her on the porch, hands in pockets.

Mizuki unlocked the door and Yuujiro came bursting out into the yard, giving Nakatsu a good growl on the way. "You know… I don't know what has come over that dog, it's almost like he doesn't even like me anymore." Mizuki looked out into the yard as Yuujiro paced back and forth for a minute. Leaving the door open for him, they went into the kitchen and sat down on the bar stools. All the food had disappeared, but his water bowl was lying on its side, a puddle seeping into the wood.

She got up and cleaned it quickly, refilled the water, and sat back down beside Nakatsu. "Thank you for spending time with me today Nakatsu. It's been getting kind of lonely around here." She knew it was a redundant thank you, but she wanted to be clear of how much she appreciated it.

"It's not a problem Mizuki. I told you can ask pretty much anything of me and I'll try to do it." Nakatsu tapped his fingers on the counter top, recalling that the last time he had sat in these chairs it had featured a horrific headache. They both heard Yuujiro come loping in; the sound disappeared down the opposite hall. It was quiet again for a few minutes before Nakatsu finally stood up. "I think I should go though. I don't want to be yelled at by the coach again for being out too late."

Mizuki held her breath and nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." She stood up, taking a slow pace toward the entryway. There was a silence resting on her chest at the moment, empty and pushing through her. Nakatsu was putting his shoes back on and Mizuki couldn't seem to look up at the moment.

"Well Mizuki… I'll see you. Don't feel too down. Sano will wake up." He tried to give her a little bit of hope. She nodded to him, before making the step down to close the door behind him.

But she didn't close the door. Instead her hand was holding onto his jacket again. Nakatsu glanced over his shoulder at her, slightly confused. In a small voice, still facing downward, she asked a question she had asked a few years before. "Could you… stay a little longer?"

Nakatsu turned around and looked down at her again. She seemed to be staring straight through the floor. He wrapped his arms around her and closed the door with his foot. "As long as you need me to Mizuki."


	15. Leaving

Nakatsu tucked his hands behind his head, stretching a little. The couch wasn't as comfortable as he had remembered. There was difference between being drunk and sober though. Yuujiro occasionally walked by, looking irritable at him. He had been on the couch for most of the night. After Mizuki asked him to stay they spent a few hours talking about her job, and Sano, and about Nakatsu's soccer. Afterwards she had gone upstairs to bed, and since then, Nakatsu had been lying awake.

It felt good to be staying there for the night, even if it meant no sleep. The game in the afternoon was miles away from his mind. He rolled over occasionally, looking at the table, the TV that remained off, the ceiling, and the color of the sofa. He guessed that Mizuki had more of a hand in decorating their house, it looked too Western to be Sano's doing. Occasionally those thoughts would pop into his head, about Sano and Mizuki and how long they had been together. He was still fairly sure there wasn't a chance for him, but it felt nice that she was turning to him again. The years she had been in America were still a bit of a dark spot.

The hours passed and Nakatsu dozed a few times, just enough so that when the sun started poking through the windows, he didn't feel like death. He stretched as he stood up, reaching up as high as he could, and then yawning loudly. He could hear her footsteps above. Since starting the new job, he guessed she was making a habit of waking early. He strolled into the kitchen, looking inside the refrigerator. Since he had a few hours before he needed to leave, he started making breakfast. He filled the rice steamer with enough for the two of them, and beat a few eggs for omelets. It sounded like she had moved from the bedroom into the bathroom. The sound of water echoed in the halls.

Setting everything out on plates, Nakatsu smiled at his handy work. Feeling a bit hungry, he sat down and dug in. He didn't often eat a traditional Japanese breakfast anymore, always busy with something or other. He liked cereal a lot nowadays. Quick, easy, filling. Mizuki emerged from the hallway, sniffing the air curiously. Her hair was still wet, and bare foot. Nakatsu froze, chopsticks halfway to his mouth.

She sat down on the chair next to him, picking up her chopsticks. "You really do have to teach me that trick Nakatsu." She took a bite of pickle before starting on her bowl of rice. "Although you're starting to lose rice."

It took all of his will not to drop everything. Managing to get most of the rice to his mouth, Nakatsu calmly set down his chopsticks and cleaned up the few pieces that had fallen. "Only when you tell me your secret." Taking a deep breath Nakatsu knew he needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. But if he thought about why, he was going to freeze again. Picking his chopsticks back up, he set a new personal record for finishing food. Mizuki watched in awe.

The last of the rice disappeared, and Nakatsu stood up and bowed to Mizuki. "I should be going, I have a game today and my phone is probably filled with messages." He smiled guiltily at her. Only the two bites she had taken were gone, and her jaw was slightly open. When she realized what he was saying, she nodded, and got up. Nakatsu rushed toward the door, Yuujiro following behind, excited to see him out.

"Okay… well." Mizuki took a second to organize the past few minutes. "It was nice to have you here Nakatsu. Good luck today." He stuffed his feet into his shoes, bowed to her again, and pulled the door open.

"See you Mizuki!" He waved behind him, rushing down the front steps, across the lawn and onto the street. Yuujiro followed him, trotting and seeming extra happy. She watched as he disappeared, mostly in awe at the speed in which Nakatsu was moving. Yuujiro continued to trot around the yard, and when he was finished with business, he returned inside.

"Why are you so happy today?" She looked at his scruffy coat, and closed the door behind him. "You didn't bite him to make him leave did you?" Filling his bowl, she resumed her own breakfast. It was lonely in the house again, but at least she was feeling a bit better. As she was finishing her breakfast, she heard a key turning in the door. She peered down the hallway from her seat, a bit puzzled. Sano wasn't supposed to be back from Europe until the next day. Yuujiro trotted toward the door, looking amicable. Mizuki circled around the kitchen island, standing close to her kitchen knives, just in case.

From the entryway she could hear Sano's voice, and what sounded like his manager Yamada. Suddenly very excited she ran down the hall, ready to jump into his arms. Yuujiro was circling around his legs, and Mizuki leapt at him. He crumpled as her weight hit him, crying out in agony. His crutches fell in separate directions, clattering as the hit the ground. Mizuki suddenly looked horrified as Sano rolled onto his side clutching his ankle, which was swollen to the size of a soft ball.

His eyes were full of rage, but he couldn't speak, still trying to control the surging pain. Yamada leaned down, offering her a hand up. "He tore two of his ankle ligaments at the competition. He was approaching the bar, a rock was right under where his foot landed, and he rolled it. He needs surgery." Mizuki stood up, covering her mouth, tears starting to form.

The shock of the pain had prevented him from yelling anything out of pure anger, but as his manager helped Sano up, Mizuki could tell there was nothing good he wanted to say. He kept his mouth shut, hoping up the step and toward the kitchen. His manager and Yuujiro followed quickly behind. Mizuki leaned against the wall, hand still over her mouth.

Sano took stock of the dishes sitting on the kitchen island, but still said nothing. His manager got him to sit down on the couch, a blanket lying in a crumpled and familiar pattern. From the freezer he got a bag of frozen fruit that Mizuki kept for smoothies. He wrapped it around Sano's ankle, and sat down next to him, talking about the surgery and what to do in the meantime.

Mizuki crept into the kitchen, scrapping what was left of her breakfast into the trashcan; she didn't think she could eat again without wanting to throw up. After cleaning the rest of the dishes, she sat down on the floor, looking at Sano's ankle.

"Listen Mizuki, he's going to need a lot of help over the next few weeks." Yamada looked down at her. "I'm trusting you to make sure he stays off his ankle until his surgery. She nodded. Sano was looking pointedly at nothing.

The first words she heard him speak clearly were the thank you to his manager as she escorted Yamada to the door. Yuujiro was resting on the couch beside him when she returned. The air was so thick she could barely breath. Red seemed to emanate from Sano. She sat down on the floor where she had been. His eyes were closed, resting his hand on Yuujiro's side.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Sano. I was just happy to see you." Her eyes glanced over his ankle again. Sano's eyes remained closed. "Can I get you anything?" It was an attempt to at least get a few words out of him.

"No." He didn't look at her, rather focused straight ahead. They sat in silence until he stood up, hobbling along toward his office. She watched him go by, feeling the red almost piercing her. The sound of his hobbling stopped after a few minutes. She looked down the hallway; feeling like her skin would freeze.

Gathering up all of her courage she walked into his office. He was seated in his chair looking at the empty computer screen. She took a deep breath. "What is wrong Sano? I can tell it's something even if you try to hide it. Can't you depend on me?"

Sano swiveled around in his chair, his eyes full of anger and desperation. "No Mizuki! Don't you understand that?! You JUST got a job, and you're acting like that's enough. And this Nakatsu thing. Every chance you get, you're out playing the teenager again. You don't get that this IS adulthood. THIS is our future." The air was completely drained out of her lungs. He looked blankly at her, feeling no regret. "If you can't tell, this injury to my ankle has destroyed my chances of jumping until next year, Nike has no interest in picking up a permanent contract with me, and when I do go back, I will be completely behind everyone again, except now I'm not young enough to get right back to top conditioning. Everything I have Mizuki, is gone. That means YOU are the provider for us, and you clearly are not capable of that." Mizuki felt a tear roll down her cheek, eyes turning bright red. "So no Mizuki, I can't count on you. I really can't count on you." It felt like acid was dripping on her skin. He swiveled around on his chair, turning on the computer.

Mizuki took a step back and leaned against the wall, crying silently. It took all her effort to walk down the hall and up the stairs before she collapsed on her side of the bed. It felt like her chest was exploding as she sobbed. Everything became a blur, and when she finally regained a semblance of her sanity, she was sitting on the bed with his letters in her hand. The house had been quiet for an hour, and she could hear his distinct hobble as he came up the stairs.

She didn't want to look, but her eyes moved on their own. He sat down aside her, setting his ankle gently on the floor. "Mizuki, I'm sorry. I have loved you for years now, but it just isn't enough anymore. And I'm tired of pretending that it is." Her eyes were red and dull. Silence fell between the two. Sano was not sure what to do, he had arranged to stay with Kagurazaka, and he had asked his manager to find an apartment in Tokyo that she could afford while working, but he knew it was probably best to leave it silent for now. Her hands tightened around the letters, trying to hold onto what was left.

He touched her shoulder and then disappeared back down the stairs. Mizuki wanted to be furious and to yell and to stomp around and destroy things because it hurt, but she couldn't. The clouds had been on the horizon since they had come to Japan, but it always felt like it couldn't actually happen. She tucked the letters back into the side table, picking herself up off the bed, and walking back down the stairs to the kitchen where Sano was again icing his ankle.

He looked up at her. The anger that had dominated his return was gone, but there was a familiar and very cold resolve. He sat down on the couch and patted the spot beside him. She sat down, sticking her hands underneath her legs, and very rigid. Her lower lip quivered again, but she did not cry. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She sobbed, but all the tears she had were already gone. Sano didn't let go until her breathing was smooth.

"I'm going to stay at Kagurazaka's for awhile. This place is yours until the 15th, and I asked Yamada to find a place for you near the school." There was none of the ice in his voice, but Mizuki still felt like she would freeze.

Taking one long breath, she turned to look at him. "Why…" It was a feeble question, and she knew he had already answered it, but it was all she could muster.

"Mizuki, love isn't enough." He leaned further back into the couch. "I just can't support you and myself." She turned away again, watching as Yuujiro circled around them. "A friend of Kagurazaka is coming by to pick me up in about a half hour." Mizuki shook her head, there was gaping hole in her chest where Sano had been, and the words kept tearing at it.

She pulled her legs up, and held them tightly. The colors blurred again a little, and she buried her head in her knees. He didn't move until he heard the car arrive outside. He took a deep breath before pushing himself up and hobbling to the front door. Mizuki had decided she wouldn't move for as long as she could.

The bag he had taken for the track meet was still fully packed, and Mizuki could hear him thanking Kagurazaka's friend and discussing the plan. The world was no longer blurry when he approached again. He sat down beside her again. "Mizuki, I'm going to leave in a few minutes. I don't know if you want Yuujiro to stay here tonight for company, but Kagurazaka can't take him until he's talked to his landlord." He stood up and put his hand on her head. "Good bye Mizuki."

The sound of his hobbling faded away, and the door closed. Mizuki fell onto her side, eyes again blurry. Her head rested on the only pillow on the couch, and she did not move.


	16. The Why of It

Just a quick thank you to everyone who keeps reading this. I'm sorry it's taking so long to finish, and I hope some of you are still around from the beginning. And thank you to everyone who keeps finding it and adding new reviews, it always seems to re-energize me when I see a review note sitting in my mailbox.

* * *

Finding a new place and dealing with her new job had been taxing on Mizuki, but being alone in the house had driven her to tears every night. Sano had collected most of his belongings during the daytime when she was at school, so when she arrived home at night the house was more and more empty each time. Realizing it wouldn't be long before there was no furniture, Mizuki hunted down an apartment close to the school. It was a studio, stuffed inside an egg carton, but it came with a bed and a table, and for now that was enough.

The inside was nothing but white. Sometimes it felt too sterile, but it also felt somewhat fresh. The first night she slept in the bed was the first night she didn't cry. That was two days ago. When she moved to Japan, she had left most of her belongings in California. Her parents had kept her room the exact same and when Mizuki called to tell her mother the news, she let Mizuki know she was always welcome to come back home. Mizuki couldn't lie, she had spent the afternoon thinking about doing just that. In the end, running back to California licking her wounds seemed like a huge back track. The students had on from her tabloid fame, as had the rest of Tokyo. That was making it a little easier to deal with. The only person in Tokyo that knew she was in horrific pain was herself.

It was Saturday, and Mizuki had spent morning buying things she needed to live. She had nothing to cook with, had only gotten a single pair of sheets, no dishes, no food, and just about nothing else that she needed. Her parents had given her a credit card for emergencies, and her mother had made it clear that this could be considered an emergency. Mizuki was somewhat relieved, but had been tempted to deny the favor. In the end, her need to survive in Japan had out weighed her pride.

Her shopping had been minimal, and involved a chair, an extra set of sheets, some pans, dishes, a rice cooker, some cleaning products and a little bit of food. She unpacked her rice cooker, scrubbed it, and was happy to make her first batch of rice. She sweetened it a little bit, missing the sticky rice her mom had made as a child. She hadn't made the sweet sticky rice since she moved to Japan… she didn't really want to think of why.

The rice was delicious, and she polished off two bowls with a peach before sitting down to think about school. Her lesson plans were in disarray after realizing her students were not as far along in English as she had expected. If she had glasses she would've slid them up her nose to pretend she was focusing. She still wanted to get them through Narnia, but that meant a drastic advance in vocabulary and grammar tenses. But her students were smart; they could do it. She was going over example sentences for verb tenses with progressive aspects. It seemed like an easy concept, but finding a good comparison in Japanese was difficult.

Her cell phone rang as she scribbled down a few notes, and she pretended to take off her glasses. The phone number wasn't one she recognized, but she wasn't in the habit of ignoring calls.

The voice on the other end was high pitched and sobbing. Mizuki tried to calm the girl down, while still being completely unsure about whom it was. As the sobbing slowed down, the pitch dropped, and she could discern a few more words. It was a girl from one of her classes, and now that she could understand the girl, it had something to do with a boy and something to do with another girl.

"Kawaki, I'm sorry, but calm down." Mizuki blurted out after the girl fell back into another high-pitched blend of sobbing. "I really want to help, but I can't understand you."

Kawaki took a minute to compose herself and then started from the beginning, still sobbing occasionally. "I was going to meet Kichiro…" Sob… "for lunch…" Another sob… "And I saw him…" Her voice returned to a tone right below a dog whistle.

At that point, Mizuki was fairly certain the rest of the statement. The day before she had written her phone number on the board in case a student needed something. She really hadn't expected anyone to call. "Kawaki… I'm sorry. If you would like…" Mizuki had to think for a minute. She couldn't really take a student out, she didn't have the money, but asking her over seemed awkward. The idea came in a flash. "I will take you somewhere, and we can talk if you would like."

"Yes… please…" Kawaki's voice sounded with the first notes of relief.

"Meet me at the park in Shibuya, outside the subway station okay?" Mizuki glanced over her transportation map.

"You mean that stop where they took that picture of you?" For a second the girl sounded completely normal.

Mizuki rested her forehead in her hand. That day would come up at inopportune times for the rest of her life. "Yes… that one. How about in half an hour? I'll try to be there waiting."

"Thank you… I'll see you soon." When they hung up, Mizuki felt it was a victory that Kawaki hadn't sobbed for the last half of the conversation. She looked around her room, suddenly feeling how small it was. Her jacket was sitting on her new chair, and she picked up her purse. It was two steps to the front door, and she puffed her hair out of her eyes. Her world was feeling extremely lonely again. Before leaving she opened one of her kitchen drawers and read one of the notes Shin had left on her pillow. She kept them tucked away, and read them if she felt lonely. They didn't always help. She locked the door as she stepped out. The sun was in its descent, almost the perfect time. She hopped down the stair flights, and onto the street. She reached Shibuya and the park in time to see Kawaki coming up the subway stairs.

Her eyes were puffy but were no longer red. It seemed likely she had spent at least a few hours crying. Mizuki waved to her student who came running up and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for asking you to come out."

"Don't worry Kawaki…" She gently patted the girl's shoulder. "You can tell me what happened if you'd like… or we can just walk. I'll let you decide." Mizuki took long but slow strides, entering the park and walking along the dirt path.

For the first few minutes, they were quiet, Kawaki's purse rattling as they walked. Without warning she started going over her day. "We've been together for 6 months. Saito Kichiro and I…" Her voice cracked as she said his name. "It was in our first year of high school, right before the year was over. He confessed an undying love for me and how could I say no…"

She took a long breath. "So, it's been a really great few months, and I had always really liked him. This morning…" Another long pause as they wound deeper into the park. "This morning I was getting off the bus where he had asked to meet around noon. I was a half an hour early because I wanted to surprise him." There were tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "I saw him with my friend… Koga Chika. They were kissing." She delivered the last line with the most courage Mizuki had ever heard.

Kawaki was crying silently now, leaving a trail of wet spots in the dirt path. It was strange to find herself comforting a student when she needed comforting herself. Mizuki also got the feeling Chika was the friend she would normally turn to for this kind of pain, and the fact that Mizuki was young and Japanese-American must have made her seem more approachable. "I don't know what to do…"

Mizuki wrapped her arm around Kawaki. It felt weird to break the contact barrier, but she didn't know what else to do. She had never had a man deceive her in that manner. Of course she had only really ever been with Sano. "It's okay Kawaki… I know it doesn't seem like it could ever be okay again, but you'll feel better." They were about halfway to their destination and the sky was going red. "The place I'm taking you, a friend showed me just a little while ago. I don't think many people know about it, so if you want to come here to be alone…" Mizuki pulled Kawaki onto the path Nakatsu had taken her through.

They emerged from the woods into the grove. The sky has just a bit darker than it was when Nakatsu first brought her, but she could still hardly breathe. Kawaki fell to her knees, surrounded by a patch of daisies. Her mouth hung open, tears frozen in their tracks.

"I had the same reaction." Mizuki knelt down beside her. "There are better guys and friends out there, and maybe when you find a few that are really worth it, you can bring them here." Kawaki leaned against Mizuki, feeling a bit of peace for a moment. They sat in silence, Mizuki thinking about Sano and Kawaki thinking about Saito.

Mizuki stood up and looked out toward the west. It was getting a tint of purple. Kawaki was no longer crying. Her eyes fixated on the distance like Mizuki. For the first time since Sano had left, Mizuki felt like she was a capable human being.

"Ashiya, would it be alright if I stayed here alone for awhile?" Mizuki's attention snapped back to the girl sitting beside her.

"Do you know how to get back to the subway station? And do you have a cell phone is something happens?" As Mizuki was asking the second question she realized it was stupid, a teenage girl in Japan would have a cell phone. "Never mind, I know you do." It made her feel uneasy to leave the girl alone in the middle of the park.

"I'll be okay Ashiya. I've lived in Tokyo all my life." The adult in Mizuki said that didn't exactly justify leaving her alone. "Please…" The teenager inside agreed.

"Just be careful okay?" Mizuki looked down at the girl, who managed a faint smile. "Let me know if you need anything okay?" Kawaki nodded. Mizuki plucked a daisy as she turned to cross back through the trees. "Listen Kawaki… I know it feels like there could be nothing worse than how you feel now, but you'll feel better as time passes. Just know that you deserve better." Mizuki felt like she was giving herself the advice.

She disappeared into the trees. Absently she picked at the flowers petals, going over what she had said. Kawaki was a pretty girl; she didn't seem to pay very much attention in class, but she hadn't ever shown a side that deserved to have her heart walked on. Mizuki couldn't really think of a why for herself either. The mix of anger and depression was still weighing heavily, and as she stepped back onto the dirt path, she felt her heart sink again. In the middle of Yoyogi Park, Mizuki collapsed and started crying.


	17. Ripples

Sunday. He squinted his eyes, focusing on the baggage carousel labels as the team wandered along the claims area. They had passed through customs quickly, arriving about an hour earlier from Thailand. Haneda airport was a welcome sight to the team. The world cup qualifier had gone fantastically, a three to nothing victory, but there was nothing quite as exhausting as the travel. At least their next qualifier was in Japan.

The team's bags were circling around one of the farthest carousels, and his teammates were collecting their bags to head to the hotel. Over the week they would be practicing at Saitama stadium for the next game. That meant all Tokyo all the time. He was tempted to go see Mizuki right away, but it was still early in the morning, and dropping his stuff at the hotel was too tempting.

They slowly collected everything, and massed around the coach who was locating the bus to take them into Saitama. Nakatsu threw his bag over his shoulder and followed the rest of his team out and onto the bus. Abe sat down next to him after shoving his bag into the overhead rack. "You always weasel your way into a window seat don't you?"

"I wouldn't say weasel." Nakatsu returned with a grin.

Abe nudged him. "What about the plane, never see you in the middle."

"That is what I call skillful negotiation." Nakatsu struck a very convincing pose.

"You'll have to teach me that, nothing quite like being stuck between Narazaki and Tamada, or you and Endo for that matter." Abe's ears felt numb from listening to the inane banter between the two teammates he had been wedged between.

"In that case it's just called offering to switch seats." Nakatsu laughed before settling in a bit more and focusing on the road outside. Osaka was his home, but he loved watching Tokyo go by.

The drive was a little more than an hour, the Tokyo freeways not quite busy with Sunday morning traffic. They drove through a few wards he was familiar with, but never into his old stomping grounds, and eventually he put on his earphones, listening to an old CD he kept with him for trips through Tokyo.

They pulled into the hotel and a mass of attendants and managerial staff came rushing into the entryway, collecting and organizing bags, greeting players, and ensuring no one was in want of anything. Nakatsu's bag disappeared up the stairs, and he followed after listening to Okada go over the plan for the week. Okada was giving them the day off, and an afternoon practice on Monday for a job well done. Nakatsu was insanely excited.

Once inside his room, he unloaded his bags into the small dresser drawer, hung his formal suits in the mini closet, and flopped onto the bed. The red eye flight hadn't afforded him much sleep, and the hours swept over him. He laid there dozing for a half an hour before pushing himself up and into the bathroom. There was nothing like a morning shower when he had nothing to do afterward. He stood in the scalding water for another half hour until his skin was pruned and scrubbed clean. He considered a bath, but decided to save it for his normal time of right before bed. Pulling his clothes on, he felt his stomach rumble and went bounding down the stairs to the hotels restaurant, hoping there would be something left for him.

Most of the team had either already returned to their rooms, or hadn't come down at all. On the way in, a young hostess asked if he would want a traditional breakfast, or the buffet of more western food that was set along the wall. Nakatsu decided on the traditional breakfast as the hotel in Thailand had provided him with his fill of western food. A few of the newer teammates were sitting off to the side, and he flopped down beside one of them. Nakatsu was doing his best to welcome the call-ups whenever they came, even though it often meant one of his better friends was leaving. He just hoped it wouldn't be him on the leaving side anytime soon. He vacuumed up the breakfast, and without much of a word disappeared onto the streets of Saitama. He didn't know it yet, but the newer teammates had started referring to him as typhoon.

Nakatsu had plans. Or at least a plan. It was always the same plan in Tokyo. He was thrilled that their place wouldn't be too far away from this hotel, bordering between north Tokyo and south Saitama. He hopped the bus and sat patiently. There were a few transfers between the hotel and their house, but nothing complicated, and Nakatsu found himself standing in their front yard once more.

The outside looked strangely bare. He hopped up and knocked on the door. It rung hollow. Rocking back and forth on his heels, he waited. And waited some more. When no answer came he hit the doorbell. He was tempted to peek in the windows, but all the curtains were drawn. Not even a bark from Yuujiro. He took a step back and looked at the house. There was no car in the driveway, maybe they had taken Yuujiro for a walk and would be back shortly.

Not wanting to wait on their porch again, Nakatsu began to stroll around the neighborhood, eventually landing himself at the park. The playground was packed full of children, and he parked himself on a bench underneath a larger tree. It was not quite sweltering hot, but the summer was almost in full swing. Before he knew it, he was dozing in the shade, a few rays of sunshine dappling over him. Sitting on this bench was as peaceful as Nakatsu ever felt.

He was surprised he hadn't seen them walking Yuujiro on his way to the park, or that they weren't making a circuit. The world seemed absent of them and it was strange. He stirred from his daze and looked at his cell phone. Nearly an hour had passed and it seemed safe to venture back to their residence. As he walked by more children were playing at the playground, they were kicking around a soccer ball, and Nakatsu stopped for a moment to watch a boy who could be the next star. There was always potential everywhere.

He took a brisk pace back to their place but was dismayed to find everything as he had left it. He banged on the door again, and rang the doorbell a few more times before giving up on believing they were hiding inside. He sat down on the porch again, looking over the length of the street. A few neighbors poked their heads out, but none came over. Eventually Nakatsu lost his patience.

He dialed her number, pacing about in their lawn. She picked up on the ring right before it went to voice mail. "Hello." Her greeting sounded hollow, and it was clear she had not checked her caller id.

"Mizuki~." He sang into the phone. "Why are you not home?" The line was silent as Mizuki processed the question. She was home. It just wasn't the home he was expecting. "Are you okay?" He asked after it seemed like she couldn't answer.

"No, not really." At least that question was easy enough. "Um, I don't really know how to tell you this Nakatsu." It went quiet again, and it felt like a clamp had latched onto Nakatsu's innards. In his mind, every scenario was running through at a whirlwind pace. "I don't live there anymore."

That was strange. Nakatsu furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Where do you guys live now?" He certainly hoped it wasn't very far away.

Mizuki puffed a breath out, realizing it would be better to just get it out of the way. "I live just outside Tokyo. Sano lives with Kagurazaka. We aren't together anymore."

Nakatsu froze mid-step and found himself falling onto the grass. The phone bounced out of his hand, and he lay there in shock. Mizuki shouted his name. Scrambling in the grass he reached for his phone, and tried to look nonchalant as he stood back up. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Rather it was a sort of a confused grunt, and then silence again.

"Yeah, I couldn't say much when it happened either." Her voice was small and distant. "I'm sorry you come all the way here to see me, and I'm not there."

"No, no, no. You don't apologize for that." Nakatsu was stern yet kind, it was clearly not her fault. "I was already in Tokyo, we have our international game next Saturday so we'll be practicing in Saitama until then. You were close by so I wanted to visit."

Mizuki was not sure she wanted company, but there was a bit of guilt even if he said it was okay. "I guess if you want to, you can come see me in my apartment…" She noticeably trailed off. However the ever-oblivious Nakatsu did not notice.

"Where are you now?" He backed away from the house, understanding why it rang so hollow when he knocked.

She gave him detailed directions before they said goodbye. Nakatsu took a deep breath as he slid his phone into his pocket. Before he could walk, he nearly fell over from shock again. He sat down on the ground, looking out over the street. His mind was working a mile a minute, reprocessing the phone call, and each time he went over it, he found himself less able to move.

After ten minutes had passed his brain had nearly ceased function, and it was only then that he was able to move again. Getting to the bus, the subway, and finally to Mizuki's new street was a complete haze. As Nakatsu rang the bell he regained a semblance of awareness, which led him to sit back down on the concrete floor.

Mizuki was startled to see him sitting cross-legged outside her door. Although she was beginning to wonder why anything Nakatsu did surprised her. "Why are you sitting there?" He gazed blearily up at her, attempting to go over the situation. Actually hearing her voice snapped the broken part of his brain back into place, and he leapt up from the floor, grinning sheepishly.

Nakatsu could not assemble a plausible lie for his behavior. "I'm kind of in shock about what you told me on the phone." Mizuki stepped aside, allowing Nakatsu into her tiny apartment. The size was less than a fourth of the house she had been living in, and it hardly seemed hers at all.

"We both are." She closed the door behind him, stepping into the kitchen and taking a few short strides to sit at her table. He could tell she still wasn't completely comfortable sitting on the ground. She fidgeted a few times before settling.

He sat down opposite of her. "So…" The question was boiling inside, but Nakatsu wasn't sure how to ask. Or if he should at all.

"It's a tiny place, but I kinda like it. It's close to school at least." Mizuki had decided she didn't want to talk about it, but everything reminded her. She wouldn't be in this apartment if not for Sano.

Nakatsu looked around again, a single picture hung on the wall, and there was a bowl of peaches on her kitchen counter. "It just needs more Mizuki flair." The idea struck him like lightning. Hurricane Nakatsu leapt up again, pulling Mizuki along with him.

Before she could even put up a fight, he had put both of their shoes on, and was barging out her front door. "Where are we going?" Mizuki yelled as they started down the stairs. It was all she could do not to fall on top of him as he yanked her around.

Remembering that his ideas weren't conveyed telepathically, Nakatsu slowed down, let her hand go, and took a deep breath. "Well, since your place needs more Mizukiness, we are going shopping."

Mizuki flushed a little bit, and wrapped her hands together. "I can't ask you to do something like that Nakatsu." She bowed slightly, trying her best to politely decline.

He would hear none of politeness. "But you didn't ask Mizuki, it is my offer, and you deserve it."

"How do I deserve it?" A vexed look crossed her face.

Nakatsu climbed the few steps between them, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Because you are the sweetest person I have known, and something bad happened. You deserve a little kindness in return."

Her cheeks flushed again. "I… uh…Thank you…" There was no way she could refuse. Nakatsu took her hand again, and started pulling her down the stairs, a bit more gently this time.

They reached the street before Nakatsu let go again. As they wandered up the sidewalk, he got lost in thought. Somewhere along the way it had stopped being strange to hold her hand. He glanced wordlessly at her. Mizuki was busy peering into the storefront windows they passed by. He smiled at her. "Seeing anything you like?"

Mizuki shook her head. It was a lie, but what she had seen was far too expensive. She couldn't deny his offer, but she could temper it. It was rough having him around sometimes. Even if everything he did was from kindness, it was hard adjusting to the constant bombardment. Just an hour earlier she had been content sitting alone in her apartment trying to get her work done.

They strolled along the streets until Nakatsu spotted a perfect place to find something for her. It was a kind of home décor store, aimed at the young and newly out of the house. Nakatsu grabbed her hand and pulled her into the store, marveling at the glass ornaments hanging from the ceiling, and the array of odd furniture.

Inside, Mizuki started to weave in between the aisles. They picked up the odd gadgets and played with them, made faces in the mirrors, and relaxed in the awkward furniture. When the staff started eyeing them irritatedly, Mizuki actually set out to find something. They wandered back up a few aisles before Mizuki found a throw blanket she wanted to take home, and a few decorations for her bathroom.

Nakatsu carried everything up to the cashier, and a few minutes later they were back on the street. Stuffed inside the bags were a couple of bathroom rugs, a shower curtain, and the cutest trashcan Mizuki had ever seen. It was a wonder to Mizuki that trashcans could even be cute. But then again this was Japan so it shouldn't have been much of a surprise.

They took the same wandering path back to her apartment, Nakatsu carrying her bags the whole way. Once inside, Mizuki stole the bags from him, and laid her new decorations out. Slowly the apartment was becoming more hers.

Nakatsu leaned against the doorframe into her tiny bathroom admiring Mizuki's handy work. "Certainly seems more homey now."

Mizuki nodded, tucking the edge of the last rug under the sink. "Thank you Nakatsu." She brushed her knees off as she stood up. "It feels kinda good to settle in I guess." After turning off the light she sat back down at the table. The kind of sad quiet she had been avoiding was settling in.

Taking a deep breath, Nakatsu sat down beside her. The short trip had distracted her a bit, but he could tell it wasn't working anymore. "Do you wanna talk about it? Or should I let you go back to working?" Her papers were strewn about.

Mizuki leaned on her hand. She probably owed him that much. "Let me get a glass of water." At least she could use that to break the conversation up. She filled two of the three glasses she owned and sat back down. "It happened pretty much the last day you saw me."

She broke off quietly, taking her first sip of water. "A little while after you left…Sano" she struggled with his name sometimes "came home. I was so excited that I went running into the entryway and jumped on him to give him a hug." Another sip of water, letting it settle her. "He injured his ankle pretty severely at the tournament which was why he was home early."

Inside her head, the way he crumpled played again. It played every time she let her mind wander. "He collapsed in agony. I guess that was the straw. About an hour later he was gone." Her voice was cool, but she was never ice, and Nakatsu could see the pain seeping through.

It was quiet at first, her hands were off the table. The salt rolled down her right cheek, falling into her water. Nakatsu watched the ripples bounce in her glass. She was sobbing quietly, shoulders shaking. As the tears started to fall Nakatsu slid over beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Mizuki let out the smallest whimper that inside was a scream, and wrapped her arms around Nakatsu, the tears wetting his shirt.


	18. Garden Tower

It had been a vicious practice. Okada was displeased with the national team after a horrendous practice on Tuesday, and they had paid the price today. Nakatsu mopped his brow with a towel, leaning back in his locker. Around him everyone was dragging their feet. The last practice they had worked so hard was following their loss to Bahrain in March. Because a few teammates had complained of being tired, Okada was worried that his team was getting complacent. As payment they had run the field more times than ever would be necessary in a game, and then done their long weights routine. Nakatsu wasn't sure he would ever move again.

It didn't make it easier that for the passed few days he had been trying to help Mizuki. On Monday he had spent his day off from practice running around picking things up and dropping off paper work. The Japanese government liked keeping track of people on work visas, and would not be pleased to find she had moved without informing them. The one thing that seemed to be keeping her stable was the job.

On Tuesday he had joined her and a student at the noodle shop. Mizuki had taken to eating there because it wasn't far from her apartment, and more importantly, she could afford it. The girl had been sweet, and somewhat awestruck to meet him. It wasn't everyday she met someone who was in the tabloids. Nakatsu thought that was probably a good thing.

Today he had promised he would run a few more errands for her, but as he tried to push himself up from his bench, he found he still couldn't move. Leaning back again he yawned. He didn't realize how tired he had been all day. Taking a long breath, he forced himself up. His teammates marveled at his energy.

Gradually he changed into street clothes. He placed everything neatly in his locker, not wanting to anger Okada into another vicious practice. While everyone else was still trying to coax themselves into moving, Nakatsu was headed out of the stadium.

He slumped his shoulders upon arriving at the bus stop. The bus he needed was half an hour away, and the subway would be about the same amount of time with walk included. The walk was really the deciding factor. He wouldn't get to his destination any faster, and one method meant he could sit for an extended period. Sitting had to win today. He sat on the bench between an elderly woman, and a group of teenage girls chattering. None of them seemed to recognize him, which he attributed to disinterest in sports and the bags under his eyes. He pulled out his headphones and turned on his music, leaning his head against the cool glass, and resting his eyes.

The middle of June meant the summer heat was in full swing, and just sitting he could feel a bead of sweat collecting on his brow. The beat thumped through his brain, and he could feel an energy filling him. He was angry. Nakatsu was very angry. His eyes popped open as it coursed through his veins. It was hot and red, and he launched up, startling the women around him.

He looked at the bus map, adjusting his planned trajectory. Seeing that this stop would not take him to his new destination, he stomped along the sidewalk toward the subway station.

During their conversations, Mizuki had let slip where Kagurazaka's place was, and Nakatsu had taken a mental note of it. He wasn't sure exactly what he would do, but he knew he had to do something. She had cried on his shoulder for almost 15 minutes before she composed herself again the first day he had visited.

The anger was propelling him forward, and getting to the subway took less time than he had expected. The pain from the movements only served as fuel. Nakatsu was on a mission. He hunted for the train that would take him into Kagurazaka's neighborhood. Believing that sitting would affect his motivation, he paced along the platform waiting for it to arrive.

The platform echoed with the arriving train, and after the majority of the passengers had shuffled off, he followed those shuffling on. Standing close to the door, he draped his arm through a strap hanging from the ceiling. The train lurched and the walls began passing by in a blur.

Nakatsu thumbed at his phone as the music played, keeping some kind of agitated movement. His glare kept everyone clear of him, until the train was packed, but even then he noticed people weren't pushing against him as much as they usually did. He switched to a second subway about halfway through, and those surrounding him became distinctly refined. The women and men were either in business attire or were more fashionable than anyone had a right to be. Nakatsu felt slightly out of place in his jeans and t-shirt.

They rolled to a stop in the underground, and Nakatsu was the first off the train, despite not being the closest to the doors. He didn't often visit Roppongi, but the few occasions had led him once before to his current destination: the Izumi Garden Tower, and it's neighboring residence. It was somehow not surprising that Kagurazaka called this high-rise home.

It was painful to imagine how expensive the place was. Kagurazaka had clearly earned far too much money from his endorsements. Nakatsu stared at the high-rise apartment building, and felt a little bit of vertigo. He certainly hoped they weren't at the very top.

He glanced at the sign and it struck him that this Izumi was the same character in Sano's. How perfect this place must be for him. Nakatsu puffed in irritation as he headed into the lobby. Inside he sought out the concierge, hoping they might tell him which was Kagurazaka's apartment. As he strode to the desk, he pulled his headphones off his ears.

"Welcome to Izumi Tower, how may I help you?" The man standing at the counter was clearly from the United States, but his Japanese was nearly flawless except for the accent. He was like Mizuki. He also looked over Nakatsu with a judgmental eye, displeased with his apperance. Much less like Mizuki.

"I'm trying to find my friend, who is staying with a resident here." The concierge's face only became more displeased as Nakatsu finished. "His name is Izumi Sano, and he's staying with…" It was an inconvenient moment to realize he didn't remember Kagurazaka's first name. "Kagurazaka, but his first name has slipped my memory."

Mr. Judgey turned to his computer as he swiftly typed in the last name. Nakatsu was thankful that Kagurazaka was not a common last name. "What is the password?"

"Password?" Nakatsu gaped.

"Any person requesting information related to Kagurazaka must go through a password check." He laced his hands together in front of his waist, clearly expecting to dismiss this vagrant within moments.

"Nakatsu?" Sano emerged from the elevator a few feet away, brow furrowed.

His head swiveled toward the source. "Sano." He lifted his hand in a friendly hello. "Well it looks like I don't need your password do I?" He turned away from the concierge with an equal amount of attitude received.

"What are you doing here?" Sano got the impression he asked that question too often when it came to Nakatsu. He hobbled toward him, his ankle stationary inside a boot.

"I need to talk to you Sano." That sounded serious. He supposed that was good, since it was serious.

It was nearly impossible not to frown. "Does it have to be right now? I have somewhere to be." He was actually just headed to a restaurant, but he knew this was going to be a displeasing conversation, and Sano was getting tired of accommodating Nakatsu whenever he happened to appear.

"Yes, it has to be now." The errands Nakatsu had left to run for Mizuki were glaring down at him.

Of course it did. Just get it over with. "Sure then, can we talk over there?" He motioned toward a set of empty chairs looking out onto a terrace. It was also probably a good idea not to show Nakatsu where he was staying. Nakatsu nodded and they sat down in silence. When he had waited about a minute, Sano finally asked, "What do you need to talk to me so urgently about?"

Nakatsu took a deep breath. "What's going on with you and Mizuki?" He met Sano dead in the eyes.

Sano was visibly taken aback. It took him a minute to formulate a sentence. "You know what's going on Nakatsu, not that it's any of your business."

That visibly upset Nakatsu. "It's my business because you're both my friends, and if you haven't noticed, I'm the one who cleans your messes when it come to her." He pointed at Sano's chest insistently.

"And I wonder why that is." He edged forward so that Nakatsu's finger was touching a button on his shirt.

"Because I care whether or not she's happy, BUT since you don't seem to remember, I stepped aside for you Sano. The only thing between us is friendship." That stung a bit to say, but it was true, and Nakatsu refused to be responsible for any tear between the two of them.

Sano leaned back in the chair, lacing his fingers together in the same fashion the concierge had. "Is that all you needed to say."

Red flashed through his eyes. "No, it isn't. Whatever this is Sano, stop playing around with her. You act like you're so selfless and you're lying to yourself." Nakatsu was having difficulty not yelling. "When you found out her secret all those years ago, rather than tell people, you kept it, so that you could keep her to yourself. And don't you dare say you were protecting her. It nearly tore her from her family to stay."

Sano braced the chair, guarding against the barrage. Nakatsu launched out of his chair, and he couldn't hold back the yelling anymore. "So whatever it is you think she did to deserve how you're treating her, why don't you think about what she has SACRIFICED so be with you."

The fury was tempting him to punch his old friend, but he restrained himself and rather stomped off. The entire lobby area was staring as Nakatsu disappeared out the door he had come in. Sano sat in slight shock, not entirely sure what had just happened.

On the street Nakatsu could still feel the rage. He marched down the sidewalk for a few blocks, and when his muscles started to ache again he forced himself to sit on a bench. His legs bounced, slowly spending the excess energy.

Nakatsu was unsure if he could justify still considering Sano a friend. They had really not spent any time together in years, partially due to his absence from Japan and Nakatsu soccer schedule. However there seemed some deeper strain. Sano never looked particularly happy to see him anymore, and Nakatsu had been trying to ignore it.

Sitting quietly he looked up. The remaining irritation drained away and he just sat staring at the sky. He couldn't make the decision yet. It meant saying goodbye to the last of his high school friends. But the choice was coming, whether or not he liked it.

Finally feeling he could accomplish errands Mizuki had asked of him, Nakatsu pushed himself up. Not wanting to tempt another rage filled tirade, he chose a much more soothing genre, and slid his headphones on. Placing his hands into his pockets, Nakatsu headed back to Shinjuku.


End file.
